OF 

CHARLES  A.  KOFOID. 

Cost.  . 


THE  TWO  AMERICAS; 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF   SPORT  AND  TRAVEL. 


WITH 


NOTES  ON  MEN  AND  MANNERS  IN  NORTH 
AND  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


BY 

MAJOR   SIR  ROSE  LAMBART  PRICE,  BART.,  F.R.G.S., 

(LATE  R.M.L.I.) 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PHILADELPHIA 
J.    B.    LIPPINCOTT    &    CO. 

1877. 


£2,7 


TO 

MY   COUSIN, 

GUSTAYUS  LAMBAET  BASSET 

OF  TEHIDY, 
THESE   WANDERINGS  ARE  AFFECTIONATELY 


247489 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  L 

Leave  England— The  inducements — Slow  progression — An  awkward 
cropper — Fishing  at  Madeira — The  English  cemetery— A  sea  waif 
proves  a  sell — St.  Vincent — Quail-shooting — Ship-wrecked  mariners 
— Quail  a  la  banana — A  good  evening's  sea-fishing — Soap-fish — A 
porcupine  fish — Eels  — Leave  St.  Vincent — Crossing  the  "Line" — 
Neptune's  visit-  Curious  coincidence — The  ceremony — Night  in  the 
tropics— The  Argonaut— Eftects  01  a  bad  cook— Anchor  at  Rio 
Janeiro  •  <«•••»•  Pages  1 — 19 


CHAPTER  IL 

Description  of  Rio  Janeiro— Recent  improvements — The  Corcovado— 
A  Brazilian  forest  —  Villa  Isabella  —  Botanical  gardens  —  Ihe 
market — Stupidity  of  post-office  officials — Opposition  of  Brazilian 
priests  to  public  education — Growth  of  Romanism  in  England — 
Leave  Rio  -  Cobwebs-  on  the  La  Plata — Monteo  Video — Hotel  del 
Prado— Santa  Lucia — The  country — Extravagance  of  cleanliness 
and  the  price  of  soap — The  Gaucho — Wretched  misgovernment  of 
Uruguay 20—37 


CHAPTER  m. 

Leave  Monte  Video— Coast  of  Patagonia — Port  San  Julian — Wild 
ostrich  —  The  Tehuelches,  or  natives  of  Patagonia  —  Early  dis 
coverers—Stalking  guanaco— Decription  of  guanaco — A  bad  shot 
—  Patagonian  partridge  —  Wild  fowl  —  Wide-awakes  —  Tale  of  a 
skunk — Leave  ban  Julian — Possession  Bay— More  guanaco  and 
ostrich — Death  of  a  guanaco — A  successful  shot — Terrific  effects  of 
Express  bullet .  .  .  38—54 


VI  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Gregory  Bay — Camp  out — Duck-shooting  in  the  Straits  of  Magellan— 
A  quiet  little  lough — Hard  work  for  Major— Contents  of  the  bag — 
Elizabeth  Island — Sold — Upland  geese— Santa  Magdalena— Laredo 
Bay— Black-necked  swan — Punta  Arenas— Don  Enrique — Gold  and 
Coal — Friendly  relations  with  the  natives— Ladies  of  Patagonia — 
Chus— Terra  del  Fuego  —  The  Fuegans — A  Chilian  feed— Scenery  in 
the  Straits  of  Magellan — Williwaws— Extraordinary  growth  of  moss 
^-Ladies  of  Terra  del  Fuego— Seals  .  .  .  Pages  55—73 

CHAPTEE  Y. 

Borja  Bay — Coast  scenery — Wild  geese — Puerto  Churrnca — Terrible 
aspect  of  the  country — The  otter  islands — Enormous  bee— Mount 
Burney — First  view  of  the  Cordilleras— Trip  for  a  yachtsman  with 
a  predilection  for  sport — Mayne  Harbour— Puerto  Buena— Alarm  of 
Martin  at  strange  sounds— Quarts  versus  Quartz — Guia  Narrows — 
Chasm  Reach — Quantities  of  seals— Grey  Harbour — A  tough  old 
warrior — A  tempting  river — I  air  my  rods — Halt  Bay— Island 
Harbour  —  Fly-fishing  in  Patagonia  a  pitfall,  a  snare,  and  a 
delusion — Sombrero  Island — "NVe  get  on  shore — Gulf  of  Peilas — 
Utter  inefficiency  of  the./iW^  and  Boxer  class  of  gun-boat — 
Remarkable  kelp  in  the  Straits  of  Magellan — Slaughter  of  the 
innocents 74—97 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Valparaiso — Cleanliness  of  the  streets — Powers  of  an  lutendente — Union 
Club  at  Valparaiso — The  mountain  of  Aconcagua— Trip  to  Santiago— 
A  refreshment  room  absolutely  worse  than  those  in  England — Good- 
natured  Chilian — Muzzling  the  priests— Fruit — Santiago — Santa 
Lucie — The  Alameda — Plaza  Jndependerjcia— The  park — The  clubs — 
The  fire  brigade — The  theatre — Chilian  dinner — Pisco — A  large  herd 
of  sea-lions—  Coqnimbo — The  Guayaeon  copper  works — Strana — The 
line  to  Ovalle — Mineral  wealth  of  Chili — Gran  Hotel  de  FraiiCia — 
Li mari— Chilian  country-life — Farming— The  lasso— Chilian  mounted 
— A  beggar  on  horseback — Compaua — Chili  a  well-governed  and 
progressing  country  ,  .  • 98—124 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Callao  —  Lima — Hotels  —  Ladies  — -  The  manto  —  Cathedral  —  Pizaro's 
bones — Midnight  funeral — Priestcraft  in  Peru — Frequency  of  murders 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

—Fate  of  the  brothers  Gutierrez— Earthquakes— A  bull-fight — Bull- 
baiting— The  Oroya  railway — Highest  point  on  the  line  15,645  feet 
above  the  sea — Aztec  cultivation — Distances  from  Callao  and  height 
above  the  sea  of  the  various  stations  on  the  Oroya  railway — Chorrillos 
— Corruption  of  all  classes  of  government  officials  in  Peru— Dtiath  of 
Major— Payta — Cross  the  equator— The  Cocos  Islands — Sharks — • 
Turtle-turning  au  naturel  .  •  .  •  Puyes  125— 148 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Acupulco— Massacre  of  the  Protestant  inhabitants  by  the  fanatic  Eoman 
Catholics — Intolerance  of  the  priests — Pira  de  la  Questa — Tickle  an 
alligator  with  small  shot— Mexican  cuisine — Wild-fowl  shooting  on 
the  lagoon — A  ride  in  the  dark — Manzanilla — A  wild-goose  chase— 
Kill  au  alligator— Fight  between  sharks  and  alligators— St.  Bias- 
Cigars — Magnificent  duck-sho.>ting  on  the  river  Santiago— Alligators 
and  dogs — Difcagreeable  rencounter— Mazatlan— Freight  for  H.M. 
shi^s  .  .  .  -i  .  .  .  .  •  .  149—184 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Deductions  concerning  "universal  suffrage"  in  South  America  and  Mexico 
— How  they  apply  to  England — Deductions  concerning  priestcraft  in 
South  America  and  Mexico — How  it  applies  to  England — San  Diego 
— Los  Angeles  —  Californian  wine  —  Quail  —  Ground-squirrels  — 
Cdlifornian  driving — Sold — San  Francisco — Expectoration — Pecu 
liarities  of  dress — The  fourth  of  July — Soda  Springs — Siskiyou  Co.— 
Head  waters  of  the  Sacramento — Salmon-fishing  extraordinary — 
Head-waters  of  the  McLeod—"  Dolly  Yarden"  trout— Watching  a 
deer-lick  —  Night-watch  for  a  bear  —  A  game  salmon  —  Railway 
uies  and  guns 185—227 


CHAPTER  X. 

Lathrop — Merced — American  politicians — Tuolumne  Grove — The  Yo- 
Semitu  va'ley — Gairote — Mammoth  grove  of"  big  trees,"  Calaveras  Co. 
—South  P<irk  prove  of  " big  trees" — Lake  Tahoe— Fishing  on  Tahoe 
— Carsnn — Night  ride  on  a  "  cow-catcher  " — Visit  to  a  silver  mine — 
Gold — Earthquakes — Virginia  City — Nevada — Land  of  Mormon — • 
Funeral  of  George  A.  Smith — The  Taternacle—  A  Mormon  sermon 
— Sulphur  springs— The  tiowtl-Layonet— The  Great  Salt  Lake — 
Jackass  rabbits  .  ....  228-270 


viu  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Cache  valley— Chicken-shoo! ing— A  bear  hunt— A  few  words  concern 
ing  bears  -Ogdtn— Laramie  City— Fort  Sanders— A  scout  on  the 
Rocky  Mountains— American  tents— Rarefaction  of  the  air— A  long 
shot— Sago-hens— Beaver-dams— My  first  elk— Lost  on  the  moun 
tains—Our  game-bag— Murders  by  the  "  Noble  savage  "—A  few  words 
about  Indians— The  Pi-Utes superstition-Chiefs— Squaws— Religion 
—Cards— Sioux  or  Dakotas— Preparation  for  war— The  Black  Hills 
—The  beginning  of  the  end— Pi\  sident  Grant— North  Platte— 
Buffalo — The  Loup  Valley — Anecdo'cs  of  the  frontier— Foit  Hartsuff 
—Prairie  firts— Prairie  dogs— Tame  elk— A  closj  s''ave— Another 
elk  hunt—"  Buckshot  "—A  large  baud  of  elk— Not  dead  jet— Wolves 
— A  complete  spill •  Payts  271—332 


CHAPTER  XTI. 

Leave  Fort  Hartsuff— Rapid  growth  of  Western  towns— Omaha— 
Chicago  —  Hotel  life  in  America— Canada  —  Toronto  —  Sleighing 
—  Niagara — Montreal  —  Summing-up — A  chivalrous  American — 
Hospitality  of  the  U.S.A.  Officers— Tale  of  a  snuff-box  — The 
end  ,  •  • 333—359 


APPENDICES. 

TAGS 

A. — The  Boxer  and  Rocket  class  of  gun-boat     ?;..,       .         .         .     360 

B< The  "  Trowel-bayonet "  of  the  United  States  troops     .         .     362 

C.— Mode  of  dealing  with  the  Indians  in  America      •        •  363 


THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Leave  England — The  inducements — Slow  progression — An  awkward 
cropper — Fishing  at  Madeira — The  English  cemetery— A  sea  waif 
proves  a  sell — St.  Vincent — Quail  shooting — Shipwrecked  mariners- 
Quail  a  It  banana  —  A  good  evening's  sea-fishing — Soap-fish — A 
porcupine  fish — Eels — Leave  St.  Vincent — Crossing  the  "  Line  " — 
Neptune's  visit— Curious  coincidence — The  ceremony — Night  in  the 
tropics  — Thr  Argonaut  —  Effects  of  a  bad  cook  —  Anchor  at  Eio 
Janeiro. 

Ox  Sunday,  the  4th  of  October,  1874,  I  took  up 
my  quarters  on  board  H.M.S.  Rocket,  a  double- 
screw  composite  gun-vessel,  464  tons,  and  120 
horse-power,  bound  for  the  Pacific  station,  where 
she  was  to  relieve  H.M.S.  Boxer,  then  stationed  at 
Esquimault,  a  small  harbour  containing  a  dockyard, 
in  Vancouver  Island. 

Lieut.  H.,  who  commanded  her,  had  been  with 
me  in  Beauchamp  Seymour's  "  Flying  Squadron," 
where  he  was  first  lieutenant  of  the  Volage,  after 
F.  got  promoted  ;  and  very  kindly  offering  me  half 
his  accommodation — a  cabin  opposite  his  own — pre 
vailed  on  me  to  sail  with  him  for  the  cruise. 

The  inducements  were  considerable ;  including  a 
trip  through  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  a  look  at  the 

B 


THE ;  TWO  AMERICAS. 


Patagonians,  and  several  places  on  the  Pacific  coast 
of  America ;  possibly  some  good  salmon-fishing  and 
shooting  in  British  Columbia,  and  an  undoubtedly 
interesting  journey  home  by  the  Union  Pacific 
Railway  from  San  Francisco,  visiting  en  route  the 
celebrated  Yo-Semite  Valley,  the  Salt  Lake  City  of 
Brigham  Young  and  the  Mormons,  and  the  Falls  of 
Niagara.  I  took  with  me  a  tent,  canteen,  and  india- 
rubber  boat,  besides  my  guns,  rifles,  and  rods ;  and 
with  a  good-looking  young  retriever,  called  "  Major," 
felt  tolerably  prepared  for  anything  that  might  turn 
up  on  our  arrival  at  the  "  happy  hunting-grounds  " 
of  the  far  West. 

Within  half  an  hour  of  my  arrival  on  board  we 
were  under  weigh,  and,  passing  Mount  Edgecombe 
and  the  breakwater,  soon  left  Plymouth  behind  us ; 
night  rapidly  cast  her  dusky  wings  around,  and  the 
last  shadowy  visions  of  old  England  soon  faded  from 
our  view. 

Our  voyage  to  Madeira  was  varied  by  light  winds, 
foul  winds,  and  gales  of  wind ;  one  of  the  latter,  off 
the  Bay  of  Biscay,  being  unusually  severe.  Many  of 
the  young  hands  were  very  sea-sick,  and  Martin,  a 
queer  kind  of  factotum  of  the  captain's,  and  a  most 
original  character  in  his  own  way,  looked  the  perfect 
picture  of  misery  and  unhappiness,  as  he  crawled 
with  uncertain  shambling  footsteps  and  pallid  woe 
begone  countenance  about  the  upper  deck,  his  short 
neck  and  square  under-sized  frame  considerably 
resembling  a  disconsolate  turtle. 

Before  long  we  discovered  that,  though  an  excel 
lent  sea-boat,  the  Rocket  was  by  no  means  a  clipper, 


MADEIRA. 


and  that  a  very  strong  inducement  was  required  to 
prevail  on  her  to  go  more  than  four  knots  an  hour 
under  either  sail  or  steam,  and  that,  unless  running 
before  the  wind,  her  average  lee-way  was  seldom  le^s 
than  two  and  a  half  points.  Slowly  but  steadily  we 
plodded  onward,  and  on  the  20th  of  October  anchored 
at  Funchal,  having  taken  sixteen  days  to  get  there. 

The  scenery  of  Madeira  when  viewed  from  the 
ocean  entirely  depends  on  the  time  of  year  arid  state 
of  the  atmosphere.  To  do  it  simple  justice,  both 
were  on  this  occasion  unfavourable,  and  the  appear* 
ance  of  the  island  may  be  described  in  a  somewhat 
graphic  remark  of  Martin's,  which  lost  none  of  its 
quaintness  through  being  delivered  in  his  broad 
Devonshire  dialect.  Seeing  him  watching  the  island 
which  we  were  now  rapidly  closing  with  a  strong 
wind  right  abaft,  I  said,  "  Well,  Martin,  what  do 
you  think  of  foreign  lands?"  "I  don't  see  noa 
land,"  replied  he;  "I  only  sees  a  monsterous  rock 
a-raising  of  itself  out  of  the  sea."  And  such  indeed 
it  appeared  on  this  occasion  merely  to  be,  and  had  I 
not  seen  it  at  other  seasons  a  mass  of  verdure,  its 
high,  sharply-outlined  mountains,  in  bright  relief 
against  the  clear  blue  sky,  its  plots  of  waving  sugar 
cane,  and  terraces  of  vineyards,  I  also  might  have 
thought  it  but  "  a  monsterous  rock,  a-raisiug  of  itself 
out  of  the  sea." 

H.M.S.  Albatross  was  in  harbour.  She  had  left 
Plymouth  a  week  after  we  did,  and  arrived  that 
morning. 

Few  places  pall  on  one  more  than  Madeira.  On 
my  first  visit,  1  thought  it  a  paradise ;  on  my  second, 

B  2 


THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


not  a  bad  substitute  for  one ;  three  years  back,  a 
pretty  little  place  for  a  very  short  visit ;  and  this 
time  it  seemed  merely  commonplace  and  decidedly 
slow.  H.  and  myself  planned  a  shooting  expedi 
tion  to  a  distant  part  of  the  island,  which  was  to 
have  extended  over  three  days.  It  required  eight 
hours'  riding  to  reach  the  ground,  which  necessitated 
an  early  start ;  but  on  getting  out  of  bed  on  the 
morning  of  our  intended  departure,  we  found  such 
a  storm  raging,  with  torrents  of  rain,  that  to  start  in 
it  would  have  been  simple  madness,  and  so,  reluc 
tantly,  we  had  to  give  it  up,  and  content  our 
selves  with  the  usual  thing  that  everyone  seems  to 
do,  i.e.,  the  Little  Curral — a  slide  down  a  steep  hill 
from  the  convent  in  a  basket- sledge,  and  a  gallop 
along  the  new  road. 

Our  ride  to  the  Curral  gave  exercise  to  our  dogs, 
who  had  been  for  some  time  cooped  up  on  board, 
and  they  certainly  enjoyed  their  galiop  as  much  as 
their  masters.  The  scenery,  when  once  well  up  the 
mountain,  was  very  lovely,  and  my  enjoyment  of  it 
was  only  marred  by  the  pony  I  was  riding  having 
an  awkward  trick  of  stumbling  at  the  worst  places ; 
and  once  coming  a  regular  "  burster "  on  the  top 
of  his  head  at  a  spot  where  he  might  have  shot  me 
a  few  hundred  feet  down  a  ravine,  had  good  fortune 
not  tumbled  him  over  on  the  safe,  instead  of  the 
unsafe  side  of  the  pathway. 

Another  day  we  visited  a  small  fishing-village,  just 
as  the  boats  arrived  to  unload  their  cargoes  of  scaly 
monsters,  conspicuous  among  which  was  a  huge  ugly 
shark,  with  teeth  strong,  large,  and  sharp  enough 


MADEIRA. 


to  have  bitten  a  man  in  two  with  one  snap  of  its 
powerful-looking  jaws.  Most  of  the  boats  had  a  few 
albicore,  the  largest  about  a  hundredweight  and  a 
half,  and  quantities  of  other  fish  which  I  knew  not 
the  names  of,  and  probably  had  never  seen  before. 
We  were  much  struck  with  the  rapid  and  dexterous 
manner  the  albicore  were  cleaned  and  prepared  for 
salting ;  and  after  inspecting  the  lines  and  different 
paraphernalia  of  the  fishermen's  gear,  and  cross- 
questioning  them  as  to  the  means  of  capture,  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  albicore-fishing  must  be  rather 
good  fun. 

The  Consul  put  our  names  down  for  the  club  and 
reading-room,  and  what  with  studying  old  newspapers 
and  feeding  at  Miles's  Hotel,  we  managed  to  get 
through  our  visit. 

The  English  cemetery  has  a  certain  sad  interest 
about  it,  from  the  dreadful  number  of  consumptive 
victims  whose  graves  lie  thick  around,  the  average 
age  on  the  tombstones  being  only  about  twenty-two ; 
poor  C.'s,  a  midshipman  I  met  out  here  last  time  I 
visited  the  island,  being  among  the  number. 

On  Saturday,  the  Albatross  steamed  out  of  harbour, 
and  on  Sunday,  the  25th  of  October,  we  "  again  urged 
on  our  wild  career,"  taking  with  us  as  much  stock 
as  we  could  bring,  and  some  of  the  dirtiest  washing, 
from  an  old  Portuguese  hag,  a  Madame  Rosa,  that  I 
ever  remember  carrying  to  sea. 

Next  afternoon,  while  meditating  with  my  eyes 
closed, — a  very  usual  occupation  with  idlers  on  board 
ship  after  luncheon, — the  quartermaster  on  watch 
awoke  me  to  say  a  large  spar  was  in  sight,  and  that 


THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


the  captain  thought  I  might  like  to  see  it.  On 
reaching  the  bridge  I  saw  a  long  spar  (forty-eight 
feet,  it  turned  out  to  be  afterwards)  some  short  way 
ahead,  and  which,  lying  but  a  little  distance  out  of 
our  track,  we  had  altered  our  course  to  inspect.  The 
captain,  first  lieutenant,  and  chief  carpenter,  were 
in  solemn  confab,  and  on  the  carpenter  pronouncing 
judgment  that  the  spar  was  a  good  one,  it  was  de 
termined  to  get  it  in-board  without  delay.  Shoals 
of  fish  were  round  it,  (a  bad  sign,  I  thought,  for  its 
utility,)  and  half-a-dozen  lovely  dolphin,  leaving  the 
barnacle-covered  attraction,  sailed,  as  if  on  a  tour  of 
inspection,  round  the  ship.  Two  hours'  hard  work 
of  all  hands  secured  the  prize,  but  darkness  having 
set  in  before  it  could  be  examined  carefully,  we  could 
only  speculate  as  to  its  probable  value,  until  next 
day  determined  the  result.  H.  was  delighted.  "  It 
must  be  worth  from  20/.  to  35/."  "  He  would  sell 
it  at  Rio."  B.,  the  first  lieutenant, "  thought  it  would 
fetch  much  paint ;"  and  the  lowerdeck  thought,  that 
perhaps  an  appropriate  splicing  of  the  main-brace, 
with  the  proceeds  of  Neptune's  gift  to  his  children, 
would  not  come  in  amiss  on  some  future  festive 
occasion.  Alas!  daylight  next  morning  rudely 
scattered  all  visions  of  money,  paint,  and  grog ;  the 
spar  was  discovered  to  be  so  thoroughly  honey 
combed  by  sea  worms,  as  to  be  utterly  useless  for  all 
purposes  of  sale  or  barter,  and  on  removing  its  thick 
coating  of  barnacles,  nothing  but  fire-wood  could  be 
thought  of  as  a  use. 

We   expected,  shortly  after   leaving  Madeira,  to 
havo  found  the    North-East    Trades,  which  should 


ST.    VINCENT. 


have  taken  us  within  5°  of  the  Line  on  our  road 
to  Rio  Janeiro;  but  as  day  after  day  we  steadily 
steamed  onward,  without  the  slightest  trace  of  a 
wind  approaching,  and  our  consumption  of  coal 
was  gradually  making  our  balance  look  unpleasantly 
small  for  so  distant  a  journey  as  that  which  still 
lay  before  us,  H.  determined  on  touching  for  fuel  at 
St.  Vincent,  one  of  the  Cape  Verde  Islands,  which 
lay  almost  in  our  track. 

On  the  3rd  of  November,  we  sighted  St.  Antonio 
at  daylight,  its  high  peak,  7400  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea,  just  peeping  out  of  the  clouds  by  which  it 
was  surrounded,  and  at  one  o'clock  were  safely  at 
anchor  at  Porto  Grande,  the  chief  town  and  coaling 
station  at  St.  Vincent. 

Few  places  are  more  uninviting  than  the  town 
and  harbour  of  Porto  Grande.  The  ground  is 
parched,  sandy,  and  arid ;  hardly  any  vegetation  is 
perceptible  from  the  anchorage,  and  the  entire  place 
looks  dismal  and  woe-)  egone  in  the  extreme.  The 
island  is  of  volcanic  formation,  and  the  mountains, 
though  high,  are  not  sufficiently  so  to  attract  the 
clouds  and  receive  their  moisture  as  in  the  neigh 
bouring  island  of  St.  Antonio,  which,  only  a  few 
miles  distant,  and  of  similar  volcanic  origin,  possesses 
a  fair  amount  of  vegetation ;  sufficient,  at  any  rate, 
to  provide  fruit  and  vegetables  for  their  own  con 
sumption,  as  well  as  enabling  them  to  send  a  few 
boat-loads  to  Porto  Grande,  not  a  single  thing  of 
any  kind  being  produced  in  St.  Vincent. 

In  the  afternoon,  H.  and  self,  taking  with  us  our 
guns  and  the  dogs,  went  to  call  on  the  Acting 


8  THE   TWO  AMEEICAS. 

Consul,  Mr.  J.  V.  M.,  who,  hearing  that  it  was  our 
intention  to  try  for  some  quail,  kindly  lent  us  horses 
to  ride  to  the  ground  and  a  guide  to  show  us  the 
way.  After  jogging  along  for  ahout  a  mile  and  a 
half,  we  came  to  a  kind  of  thin  scrub  partly  cleared, 
and  planted  with  young  Indian  corn.  Among 
this  stuff,  the  guide,  and  a  couple  of  niggers  who 
had  joined  him,  commenced  heating  for  quail, 
and  in  a  short  time  put  some  up.  They  were  a 
very  small  sort,  generally  known  as  "  button  quail," 
and  being  the  same  colour  as  the  ground,  and  flying 
low  through  the  scrub,  were  as  difficult  to  knock  over 
as  hard  to  find  afterwards,  there  not  being  an  atom 
of  scent  for  the  dogs  to  work  by. 

Next  morning,  before  daylight,  taking  Martin  with 
me,  I  started  from  the  ship  ;  and,  landing  about  three 
miles  from  the  town,  steadily  beat  up  a  large  open 
plain,  scantily  covered  with  some  green  substitute 
for  grass,  but  bearing  a  plentiful  crop  of  loose  angu 
lar  stones,  in  many  places  as  thick  and  sharp  as  those 
on  a  newly  macadamised  road,  which  I  had  been 
recommended  to  try.  Not  finding  anything  here, 
we  crossed  over  a  mountain-ridge  to  the  ground  we 
had  beaten  the  previous  evening,  and  where  we 
soon  got  several  shots.  A  negro  milking  goats  told 
us  the  birds  lay  higher  up ;  but  the  heat  of  the  sun 
had  by  this  time  got  so  intense,  that,  had  we  con 
tinued  our  sport,  the  dogs  could  not  possibly  have 
stood  it,  so,  after  getting  a  drink  of  new  goat's 
milk,  which  ^as  uncommonly  good,  we  turned  our 
steps  towards  the  town  and  got  on  board  again  for 
breakfast. 


SHIPWRECKED   MARINERS.  9 

At  some  seasons  of  the  year  the  quail-shooting 
at  St.  Vincent  is  really  excellent,  an  average  shot 
being  known  to  kill  over  twenty  brace  in  a  few 
hours. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  on  shore  to  prospect  the 
town,  and  found  it  a  wretched  place  almost  entirely 
populated  by  niggers.  Some  shipwrecked  mariners 
were  loafing  about,  one  of  whom,  a  sailmaker,  H. 
endeavoured  to  persuade  to  join  the  Rocket.  Ship 
wrecked  mariner  had,  however,  once  before  been  her 
Majesty's  servant,  and  did  not  seem  at  all  inclined  to 
covet  the  honour  of  serving  again. 

One  of  the  crew,  a  very  decent  fellow,  appeared 
considerably  distressed  at  what  he  told  me  was  a 
common  custom  in  the  Merchant  Service,  but  which 
nevertheless  appeared  to  me  as  a  rank  injustice.  It 
seems  that  the  owners  of  a  vessel  stop  the  pay  of  the 
crew  from  the  date  they  hear  their  ship  is  lost.  The 
wives  therefore  of  tlie  men  who  happen  to  be  married, 
and  who  have  their  husbands'  pay  allotted  for  their 
support  during  his  absence  from  home,  are  suddenly 
rendered  penniless,  through  no  fault  of  either  them 
selves  or  the  father  of  their  children.  Piece  by 
piece  their  household  comforts  are  converted  into 
bread,  each  visit  to  the  pawnshop  bringing  them 
nearer  starvation. 

As  nine  times  out  of  ten  the  ship  and  cargo  are 
amply  insured  —  that  often  vessels  are  purposely 
wrecked,  burned,  or  founder  at  sea,  through  dis 
honest  owners  seeking  to  defraud  the  insurance 
companies,  is  unhappily  a  well-assured  fact — and 
that  rarely  any  well-managed  firm  of  shipowners 


10  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

suffer  from  a  wreck,  their  insurance  covering  all 
losses — it  does  indeed  seem  hard,  that  the  wife  and 
children  of  a  common  sailor,  who  from  his  position 
must  he  entirely  hlameless  for  the  disaster,  should 
be  the  only  sufferer  by  the  affair. 

While  I  was  shooting  in  the  morning,  H.  made 
one  of  those  accidental  yet  valuable  discoveries,  that 
so  often  lead  to  great  results.  From  a  culinary 
point  of  view,  he  had  achieved  greatness  in  a  no  less 
remarkable  manner  than  by  inventing  a  new  method 
of  cooking  quail,  which  only  requires  to  become 
known  to  completely  supersede  all  others. 

Having  ordered  for  his  breakfast  some  of  the  birds 
we  had  shot  the  previous  evening,  he  remembered 
that  there  were  no  vine-leaves  to  cook  them  with  ; 
and  looking  about  him  in  despair  for  a  substitute, 
saw  a  plate  of  bananas.  It  suddenly  occurred  to 
him  to  try  the  peel  of  one  over  the  slice  of  thin 
bacon  which  envelopes  the  bird ;  he  did  so,  and  the 
result  was  one  of  those  marvellous  successes  which 
for  ever  after  render  their  discoverer  famous. 

Joking  apart,  the  birds  thus  cooked  were  far 
superior  to  any  I  have  ever  tasted  dressed  in  the 
conventional  vine-leaf,  and  the  receipt  may  prove  a 
useful  wrinkle  to  travellers,  who,  like  myself,  may 
have  frequently  enjoyed  capital  quail-shooting  in 
places  where  banana  peel  was  plentiful,  but  vine- 
leaves  scarce. 

Mr.  M.  took  us  in  the  evening  to  a  large  rock  at 
the  entrance  of  the  harbour,  called  Bird  Island, 
where,  being  provided  with  rods  and  bait,  we  com 
menced  fishing  shortly  after  the  sun  had  gone  down. 


AN  EVENING'S  SEA-FISHING.  11 

The  native  boats  had  just  given  up  as  we  arrived, 
which  was  a  pretty  good  sign  that  the  best  part  of 
the  clay  was  over ;  however,  we  went  to  work,  and 
as  M.'s  black  boat's-crew  instructed  us  in  the  pisca 
torial  art  as  practised  at  St.  Vincent,  I  will  try  and 
describe  their  operations. 

The  rods,  stout  bamboos  about  fourteen  feet  long, 
with  the  lines  fastened  half-way  clown  and  leading  to 
the  top,  having  been  taken  out  of  the  boat,  an  active 
darky  commenced  spearing  small  crabs  ;  quantities  of 
whom  were  running  over  the  side  of  the  rock,  as  the 
waves  rising  arid  falling  exposed  them  momentarily  to 
the  quick  eye  of  the  sharp-sighted  negro,  whose  unerr 
ing  clarfc  seldom  failed  to  secure  its  aim.  Having  killed 
a  couple  of  dozen,  he  commenced  mashing  them  up 
with  a  stone  into  paste,  which,  formed  into  balls,  he 
immediately  cast  into  the  sea  to  attract  the  fish ; 
and  then  baiting  our  hooks  with  legs  of  crabs  or 
barnacles,  we  watched  the  result  of  his  mode  of 
attack  with  some  anxiety. 

We  had  not  long  to  remain  in  suspense.  "  I've 
got  one,"  was  soon  the  cry,  and  shortly  all  the  rods 
were  bending  at  different  angles  according  to  the 
weight  and  resistance  of  their  various  captures. 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  exciting  than  this 
sport,  winch  for  over  an  hour  was  steady  and  unceas 
ing.  Nearly  all  the  fish  were  of  different  varieties, 
and  had  we  been  unattended  by  M.'s  "  darkies,"  I  am 
confident  some  of  us  would  have  been  hurt,  if  not 
seriously  injured,  by  the  fish  in  unhooking  them,  as 
nearly  all  were  armed  with  some  description  of 
prickle.  Many  of  their  prickles  were  poisonous,  and 


12  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

all  of  them  bit  like  mad  at  everything  within  reach 
on  coming  out  of  the  "  briny." 

A  handsome  red  fish,  about  two  pounds  in  weight 
and  something  like  a  perch,  called  by  M.  "  the  king 
of  the  seas,"  was  the  best  eating  of  the  lot,  and  well 
merited  his  proud  appellation,  as  a  finer  flavoured 
one  I  have  seldom  tasted.  A  black  ugly-looking 
thing,  about  a  pound  weight,  was  called  "  the  soap- 
fish,"  and  was  uneatable  ;  but  on  being  stirred  about 
in  a  small  pool  of  salt  water,  soon  caused  it  to  lather 
like  suds.  A  porcupine-fish  (Diodon  hystrix),  weighing 
about  seven  pounds,  one  of  the  Plectognathes,  was 
perhaps  the  most  curious  one  we  caught.  The  men 
treated  this  gentleman  with  the  greatest  possible 
caution,  evidently  regarding  him  as  a  dangerous 
brute.  A  more  awkward  one  to  handle  it  is  quite 
impossible  to  conceive,  as  he  was  entirely  covered 
with  small  spikes,  dispersed  over  sides,  back,  and 
abdomen,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  effectually 
anyone  touching  him.  On  being  hauled  up  he  came 
grunting  loudly  out  of  the  water,  and  as  he  lay  on 
the'  rocks,  commenced  swelling  himself  out  by  suc 
cessive  gulps  of  air,  which  he  inhaled  with  such 
noise  and  vigour  that  he  soon  resembled  a  cross  be 
tween  a  distended  football  and  an  angry  toad.  Its  skin 
was  so  tough  that  it  resisted  easily  the  pike-thrusts 
which  saluted  it,  and  only  after  several  efforts  was 
it  dispatched  with  a  sharp  arid  strong  clasp-knife. 
Its  maxillary  and  intermaxillary  bones  are  soldered 
together  so  as  to  render  the  upper  jaw  immove- 
able ;  its  entire  mouth  appeared  plated  with  some 
hard  kind  of  enamel,  and  M.  told  us  that  its  powers 


AN  EVENING'S  SEA-FISHING.  13 

of  crushing  were  so  great,  that  when  fresh  from  the 
water  one  of  them  could  easily  crumble  any  of  the 
lumps  of  scoria  lying  about,  were  a  piece  placed 
between  its  powerful  jaws. 

We  caught  several  large  eels,  which  caused  more 
alarm  than  anything  else — the  niggers  skipping 
away  like  monkeys  the  instant  they  were  thrown 
upon  the  rocks.  They  certainly  were  formidable 
brutes,  and  the  bare -legged  boatmen  were  amply 
justified  for  the  activity  they  displayed.  Their 
jaws,  shaped  something  like  a  duck's  bill,  were 
capable  of  great  expansion,  and  their  teeth  were 
strong  and  sharp  as  razors.  One  that  we  had 
speared  turned  viciously  round  and  bit  a  large  piece 
out  of  his  own  tail,  and  then,  seizing  a  bamboo  he 
had  been  struck  with,  severed  the  tough  cane  as  if  it 
had  been  a  simple  carrot.  We  afterwards  spiced 
and  pickled  our  ill-tempered  friend,  and  found  him 
excellent  eating  ;  but  though  the  flesh  was  perfectly 
white  and  delicate,  his  bones  were  all  deep  purple, 
and  strong  as  steel.  The  vertebral  bone  was  mar 
vellously  formed  for  strength,  having  a  kind  of  extra 
flange  through  its  entire  length,  which  must  have 
given  the  brute  an  amount  of  power  I  have  never 
seen  developed  in  any  other  kind  of  eel,  or  in  any 
skeleton  of  snake  or  viper.  All  the  small  bones 
terminated  in  a  kind  of  fang  or  fork  which  I  never 
observed  in  any  other  fish. 

We  killed  many  other  varieties  of  fish  which  it 
would  be  tedious  to  describe,  and  got  back  to  the  ship 
when  it  became  quite  dark,  after  having  enjoyed  an 
evening's  sport — as  unusual  as  it  was  interesting. 


14  THE   TWO  AMEEICAS. 


On  our  return  we  found  H.M.S.  Basilisk  at  anchor. 
She  had  come  in  for  coal,  on  her  way  to  England, 
after  a  commission  of  nearly  four  years  in  Australia. 

On  the  5th  of  November  we  steamed  out  of  Porto 
Grande,  H.M.S.  Coquette  standing  in  as  we  left. 

The  heat  at  St.  Yincent  was  intense,  and  though 
Europeans  find  it  healthy  according  to  their  account 
(half  of  them  never  show  out  for  a  moment  during 
the  heat  of  the  day,  and  running  no  risk,  arc  not 
likely  to  get  ill),  we  were  all  precious  glad  to  get 
away.  I  lost  a  new  and  excellent  purse  there,  which 
tumbled  out  of  my  pocket  while  shooting;  this 
annoyed  me  a  good  deal,  and  as  we  evidently  had 
not  hit  off  the  cream  of  the  quail  season,  I  was 
delighted  that  our  stay  was  of  no  longer  duration. 

On  the  evening  of  the  15th  of  November,  Neptune 
coming  on  board,  announced  his  intention  of  next 
morning  visiting  the  ship  in  a  more  formal  manner 
(which  would  by  that  time  have  arrived  at  his  own 
particular  dominion),  and  that  he  would  require  a 
toll  from  all  those  who  had  not  already  paid  their 
footing.  The  engines  were  stopped,  sides  piped,  and 
his  Majesty  received  by  the  captain  on  the  quarter 
deck,  who,  after  expressing  the  delight  he  felt  at  again 
making  his  Royal  Highness's  acquaintance,  asked, 
"What  kind  of  weather  are  we  likely  to  have?" 
"  Stormy  weather,"  replied  Neptune ;  "  and  I  also 
prognosticate  much  wet  very  shortly  ;"  which  pro 
phecy  was  almost  instantly  fulfilled  by  the  donkey- 
engine,  which  had  been  eecretly  rigged  for  the 
occasion,  immediately  commencing  to  play  on  the 
mob  of  "  greenhorns  "  who  had  come  aft  to  see  the 


REPTUNITS  VISIT.  15 

ceremony,  not  knowing  exactly  what  they  might 
expect;  and  shortly  afterwards,  Neptune  having 
received  a  bottle  of  cold  tea  from  the  captain  (very 
strong,  and  smelling  suspiciously  of  rum)  for  Amphi- 
trite  his  wife,  took  his  departure  over  the  stern  in  a 
chariot  of  fire,  which  vas  seen  long  afterwards 
floating  miles  behind  us. 

"Reed,"  a  huge  boatswain's  mate  over  six  foot, 
and  "  bearded  like  a  pard,"  represented  the  great  sea 
god,  and  really  made  a  most  excellent  illustration  of 
the  mythological  deity.  His  chariot  of  fire  was 
manufactured  out  of  a  tar-barrel,  which  was  ignited 
and  cut  adrift,  as  he  disappeared  over  the  stern  to 
unrig  out  of  sight  of  the  youngsters  who  were  gazing 
open-mouthed  at  the  interview  with  H.,  which  had 
just  taken  place,  and  whose  mouths  were  only  closed 
again  by  the  judicious  application  of  salt-water 
already  alluded  to. 

Next  morning,  the  IGth  of  November,  we  crossed 
the  line  in  Long.  25°  34'  W.  A  very  remarkable 
coincidence  here  took  place.  Shortly  after  divisions, 
the  hands  wrent  to  "fire  quarters."  as  being  the  most 
convenient  method  for  filling,  by  all  the  pumps,  a 
large  bath  made  out  of  a  sail  which  was  to  be  used 
for  ducking  Neptune's  victims  in,  after  their  being 
shaved. 

The  bell  had  not  been  rung  two  minutes,  which 
summoned  the  men  to  their  stations,  when  a  bond 
fide  fire  was  discovered  in  one  of  the  coal  bunkers. 
The  bath  had  to  be  taken  down,  and  the  fire  engines 
were  actively  employed  for  some  time  in  extinguish 
ing  the  smouldering  coal,  which  threw  out  volumes 


16  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

.of  smoke  during  the  operation.  In  less  than  an  hour 
the  danger  was  reported  over,  and  not  to  be  done 
out  of  their  fun,  again  the  hands  commenced  rigging 
bath  and  platform  for  the  coming  ceremony. 

All  preparations  been  duly  made,  Neptune,  Am- 
phitrite,  and  their  son,  (a  sturdy  little  Triton,) 
attended  by  a  brilliant  staff,  having  promenaded 
round  the  quarter-deck  to  the  soul-inspiring  strains 
of  a  penny  whistle,  three  pot-lids,  and  a  banjo,  took 
up  their  position  on  a  dais  raised  for  the  occasion, 
and  conveniently  placed  to  the  bath,  which  was  some 
four  feet  deep,  and  large  enough  to  contain  half-a- 
dozen  lusty  bears,  who,  bedaubed  with  paint  like  red 
Indians,  growled  and  disported  themselves  gaily 
in  the  huge  tank  while  waiting  anxiously  for  their 
prey. 

His  Majesty,  being  provided  by  the  assistant  pay 
master  with  a  list  of  all  hands  on  board  who  had  not 
previously  crossed  the  line,  commenced  in  a  stern 
tone  of  voice  by  demanding  that  his  first  unpresented 
servant  should  be  brought  before  him.  Immediately 
the  individual  was  seized  by  some  myrmidons,  blind 
folded,  and  led  up  a  ladder  to  the  dais,  where  he 
was  handed  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  a  barber 
and  doctor,  well  supported  by  a  staff  of  assistants 
sufficiently  numerous  to  render  resistance  quite  out 
of  the  question. 

He  was  then  placed  sitting  crossways  on  the  ex 
treme  end  of  a  bench,  close  to,  but  with  his  back 
to  the  bath,  which  was  about  eight  feet  below  him. 

The  doctor  at  this  juncture,  fearing  that  excite 
ment  might  cause  ill  effects  to  his  patient,  kindly 


NEPTUNE'S   VISIT.  17 

administered  his  smelling-bottle,  a  most  odoriferous 
stimulant,  the  cork  being  well  provided  with  sharp 
pins,  which — as  a  description  of  counter-irritant — 
was  considerately  rammed  in  his  nose.  This  naturally 
caused  him  to  ejaculate  "  Oh  !  "  and  immediately  a 
pill,  the  ingredients  of  which  we  will  not  inquire 
into,  was  dexterously  popped  into  his  open  mouth. 

The  amount  of  medicine  depended  to  a  great 
extent  on  the  popularity,  or  otherwise,  of  the  initi 
ated  ;  and  the  words  "  Scrub  him,"  and  "  TVerry 
obstreperous,  your  majesty — resisted  hawful !  "  hinted 
to  the  executioners  the  amount  of  torture  they  were 
expected  to  inflict. 

The  barber  then  commenced,  and  having  com 
pletely  enveloped  his  patient's  head,  nose,  ears,  and 
eyes,  with  a  thick  coating  of  soft-soap  and  soot, 
shaved  it  off  with  a  huge  razor  of  either  rusty  iron, 
or  jagged  wood,  according  to  Neptune's  mandate 
for  No.  1  or  No.  2  weapon  to  be  used ;  and  then 
having  entirely  finished,  at  a  sudden  signal,  the 
novice  was  tumbled  over  backwards  into  the  bath, 
where  he  was  seized  upon  by  the  expeclant  "  bears," 
and  soundly  ducked  and  belaboured,  until  he  crawled 
out  at  the  other  end,  heartily  glad,  I  have  110  doubt, 
that  his  initiation  into  the  mysteries  of  the  deep  had 
at  length  been  completed. 

About  five-and-thirty  "  tyros "  were  operated  on, 
and  though  much  of  the  play  was  somewhat  rough 
and  boisterous,  there  was  not  a  single  instance  in 
which  any  of  the  men  lost  their  temper,  or  looked 
upon  the  whole  affair  as  other  than  a  good  joke. 

Night  at  sea,  while  in  the  "  trades "  is  always 

c 


18  THE  TWO  AMEPJCAS. 

delightful,  and  I  frequently  slept  on  deck,  or  lay 
there  watching  the  stars,  so  refulgent  and  glorious, 
that  I  often  wondered  vaguely  what  they  really 
were,  almost  ready  to  helieve  in  the  faith  of  the 
ancients,  who  peopled  them  with  creatures  and 
gave  them  gods.  The  brilliancy  of  Venus  at  times 
equalled  that  of  the  moon.  I  don't  know  whether 
her  transit  taking  place  about  this  period  had  any 
thing  to  do  with  her  illuminating  powers,  but  she 
often  threw  regular  and  distinct  rays  across  the 
water,  arid  gave  sufficient  light  to  read  by.  Sirius 
and  Orion's  Belt  seemed  vivid,  and  even  the  over 
rated  Southern  Cross  grew  brighter. 

On  nights  like  these,  a  gentle  balmy  air  stealing 
along  the  bosom  of  the  deep — countless  stars 
sparkling  in  the  firmament — the  pleasant  ripple  of 
the  water  making  music  as  the  ship  glides  almost 
motionless  through  it — and  all  around,  save  watch 
and  helmsman,  hushed  in  sleep,  one  feels  thankful  to 
be  away  from  cities  or  towns — from  their  foetid 
atmosphere  and  discordant  noise. 

Shortly  after  crossing  the  line  we  saw  a  most 
lovely  "argonaut,"  or  "Portuguese  man-of-war,"  as 
nearly  all  the  nautili  are  called  by  sailors.  It  was 
the  largest  I  had  ever  seen,  its  sails  being  over  a 
foot  above  the  water,  and  of  a  bright  violet  colour. 
It  passed  quite  close  to  the  side  of  the  ship,  and  as 
we  were  going  very  slowly  at  the  time,  had  oppor 
tunity  of  admiring  its  excessive  beauty.  With  the 
exception  of  the  Spirula,  it  is  the  only  one  among  its 
flpecies,  the  dibranchiate  cephalopods,  who  possesses  an 
outward  shell,  and  was  supposed  by  the  ancients  to 


EFFECTS  OF  A   PAD   COOK.  19 

have  been  the  model  from  which  man  took  his  first 
idea  of  navigation. 

A  passenger  on  board  ship  must  make  occnp ation. 
To  a  man  devoid  of  resources  in  himself  I  can 
honestly  say — avoid  ship  life;  and  perhaps  we  had 
much  to  be  thankful  for,  in  that  it  pleased  fate  to 
bestow  on  us,  in  the  shape  of  cook,  one  Thomas 
Smith,  the  most  utter  fool  and  spoiler  of  food  I  ever 
came  across.  His  extreme  incapacity  gave  us 
plenty  to  do,  as  not  wishing  to  be  poisoned  we 
always  made  the  bread.  From  bread  making  we 
soared  to  other  flights,  and  if  all  trades  fail,  I  think 
that  either  of  us  might  take  the  billet  we  trained  for 
in  the  Pocket. 

Time  somehow  passes  more  rapidly  at  sea  than  in 
any  other  place  :  so  little  occurs  to  mark  the  days 
by,  they  seem  positively  to  fly ;  and  on  finishing  a 
journey,  one  is  lost  in  astonishment  at  the  manner 
it  got  so  soon  over. 

We  jogged  quietly  along,  seldom  averaging  over 
seven  hundred  miles  a  week,  and  on  the  1st  of 
December,  18 74,  anchored  in  the  harbour  of  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  the  capital  of  Brazil. 


20  THE  TWO  AHEHICAS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Description  of  Rio  Janeiro — Eeccnt  improvements — The  Corcovado — 
A  Brazilian  forest — Villa  Isabella — Botanical  gardens — The  market 
— Stupidity  of  the  post-office  officials — Opposition  of  Brazilian  priests 
to  public  education— Growth  of  Eomanism  in  England — Leave  Rio 
— Cobwebs  on  the  La  Plata — Monte  Video — Hotel  del  Prado — Santa 
Lucia — The  country — Extravagance  of  cleanliness  and  the  price  of 
soap — The  Gaucho — Wretched  misgovernment  of  Uruguay. 

•IT  would  be  difficult  to  do  adequate  justice,  in  merely 
attempting  to  describe  the  magnificent  harbour  of  Rio 
de  Janeiro.  The  artist  only  has  power  to  convey 
an  idea  where  mere  description  fails,  and  to  the 
brush  of  a  "Bierstadt"  lies  the  task  of  truthfully 
delineating  a  harbour  that,  for  size  and  beauty,  is 
generally  supposed  to  be  the  finest  in  the  world. 

Those  who  have  seen  Queenstown  can  get  a  faint 
idea  of  its  general  character,  by  magnifying  the  Irish 
harbour  about  ten  times,  diminishing  its  entrance  to 
less  than  half,  studding  the  vast  expanse  of  sheltered 
water  with  innumerable  palm-clad  islands,  surround 
ing  it  on  all  sides  with  lofty  mountains  covered  to 
near  their  summit  with  the  rank  luxuriousness  of 
tropical  vegetation,  and  throwing  up  against  the 
azure  sky  so  fantastic  an  outline,  that  one  becomes 
lost  in  amazement  while  contemplating  a  scene  so 
full  of  beautv  and  vet  so  weird. 


EIO  DE  JANEIRO.  21 

These  distant  mountains  are  called  the  Organs, 
possibly  from  their  similarity  to  the  pipes  of  that, 
instrument,  and  are  of  extraordinary  formation ;  the 
peaks  running  almost  like  the  teeth  of  a  comb,  up 
and  down  the  entire  range.  They  are  several 
hundred  feet  high,  and  quite  inaccessible  to  the  foot 
of  man. 

We  found  H.M.SS.  Albatross  and  Dart  in  har 
bour,  the  former  having  only  got  in  five  days  before 
us  in  her  passage  from  Madeira.  The  Egmont, 
an  old  storeship,  was  in  the  act  of  being  abolished, 
and  H.  did  not  feel  particularly  delighted  when 
Capt.  B.,  the  senior  officer,  ordered  him  to  send  a 
working  party  for  two  days  to  assist  in  clearing 
her  out. 

Improvements  much  needed  had  been  going  on  at 
Rio  since  my  last  visit,  and  that  energetic  monarch 
Pedro  the  Second  was  still  busy  in  further  utilizing 
and  doing  good. 

Facility  of  locomotion  had  been  increased,  by  the 
laying  down  of  trams  in  all  directions  for  street  cars. 
The  line  of  railway  had  been  pushed  on  a  consider 
able  distance  from  its  then  terminus,  and  public 
schools  had  been  opened  for  free  education  in  more 
places  than  one. 

The  morning  after  our  arrival,  we  were  made 
aware  at  daybreak,  by  the  most  terrific  cannonading, 
that  it  was  the  Emperor's  fete  day ;  at  noon  we 
were  again  reminded,  and  at  sunset  it  was  once 
more  dinned  into  our  tortured  ears.  However,  the 
Brazilians  have  a  worthy  good  monarch  who  un 
ceasingly  and  unselfishly  works  for  their  benefit,  and 


THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

few  crowned  heads  deserve  such  thundering  applause 
more  than  the  one  for  whose  honour  our  slumbers 
had  been  so  prematurely  disturbed. 

He  opened  a  new  stone  pier  at  the  principal  landing- 
place  in  honour  of  the  event,  thus  supplying  a  want 
long  neglected,  and  much  felt  by  all  maritime 
visitors  to  his  capital.  We  found  letters  waiting  for 
us  on  board  the  Egmont,  and  among  mine  I  discovered 
the  purse  I  had  lost  while  out  shooting  at  St.  Vincent. 
Before  leaving,  I  had  offered  the  contents  as  a  reward 
should  the  purse  be  discovered  and  sent  me.  Twenty 
niggers  had  scoured  the  country  after  we  sailed,  and 
the  Consul  forwarded  the  result  of  their  diligence  by 
post. 

The  Navy  and  the  British  Merchant  do  not  seem 
to  "  hit  it  off"  at  Rio.  Whether  the  latter  are  too 
humble  to  take  the  initiative,  and  call  on  men  their 
superiors  in  station,  or  whether  they  be  so  wedded 
to  their  dollar-bags  that  dinner-giving  and  gaiety 
might  incommode  them,  it  would  be  hard  to  say,  but 
certainly  no  cordiality  exists  between  the  classes; 
and  the  latter  seldom  attempt  the  slightest  hospitality 
or  politeness  to  men  who  in  their  interests  are  com 
pelled  to  serve  for  years  on  one  of  the  most  unhealthy 
and  uninteresting  stations  we  possess. 

Mr.  T.,  the  Navigating-Lieutenant  of  the  JZcynont, 
was  kind  enough  to  put  H.  and  myself  down  for  ad 
mittance  to  a  reading-room,  with  billiard  tables  and  a 
bar  attached  to  it,  called  "  The  English  and  American 
Club."  It  was  well  supplied  with  the  periodicals  and 
newspapers  of  both  countries  ;  but  not  being  able  to 
get.  either  luncheon  or  dinner,  it  was  rather  an  under- 


THE  COECOVADA.  23 


taking  to  go  there,  as  it  was  at  least  two  miles  from  the 
town,  and  three  from  the  landing-place  where  we 
embarked.  I  visited  it  some  three  or  four  times,  but 
only  saw  one  member,  who  appeared  astonished  at 
a  stranger's  entrance,  but  who  did  not  honour  me 
with  either  attention  or  remark,  after  apparently 
satisfying  himself  that  I  was  not  likely  to  steal  the 
papers. 

One  morning,  shortly  after  daylight,  I  walked  to 
the  top  of  the  "  Corcovada,"  a  small  but  exceedingly 
steep  mountain,  from  which  in  clear  weather  the 
most  perfect  view  of  the  harbour  and  surrounding 
country  may  be  obtained.  B.,  a  Sub-Lieutenant,  but 
occupying  on  board  the  proud  position  of  "  First 
Lieutenant "  of  the  Rocket,  came  with  me,  and  after 
being  put  down  by  a  "  tram  car "  near  the  foot  of 
the  mountain,  we  commenced  our  ascent. 

The  path  led  in  a  zigzag  manner  almost  to  the 
summit,  by  the  most  gradual  of  inclines.  It  was 
most  beautifully  kept,  and  completely  shaded  from 
any  sun  by  the  trees,  whose  branches,  covered  with 
creepers,  orchids,  and  vegetable  parasites  of  all 
descriptions,  met  far  above  our  heads.  A  deep 
humming  but  not  unpleasant  sound,  caused  by  the 
myriads  of  beetles,  bull-frogs,  and  flying  insects,  sc 
prevalent  in  all  Brazilian  forests,  accompanied  us  on 
our  way,  and  occasionally  a  butterfly,  of  a  size  and 
brilliancy  only  to  be  met  with  in  South  America, 
fluttered  gaily  before  our  eyes. 

Dense  walls  of  vegetation,  through  which  occa 
sionally  we  got  a  glimpse  of  the  distant  sea,  rose 
high  on  each  side.  Palm-trees  of  every  variety, 


24  THE   TWO  AMERTdAS. 

reared  their  tall  and  stately  heads  above  the  deep 
masses  of  green,  bending  gracefully  to  the  sea 
breeze,  just  setting  in,  as  if  almost  bowing  it  a 
welcome.  The  broad-leafed  banana  peeped  modestly 
from  the  jungle,  and  the  tree-fern  struggled  for  exist 
ence  mid  the  thickly  piled  masses  of  growth.  Huge 
giant-like  trees,  towering  above  their  fellows,  were 
covered  with  a  profusion  of  creepers  to  their  highest 
boughs,  from  which  they  dropped  in  pendants,  like 
long  leaf-clad  rope?,  to  the  verdant  depths  beneath. 
A  faint  odour  of  musk  and  orange-blossoms  seemed 
to  float  through  the  atmosphere,  and  the  general 
sensuous  influence  of  the  whole  scene  made  one 
instinctively  long  for  cooling  drinks,  a  grass  ham 
mock,  and  a  fragrant  cigar. 

Half-way  up,  we  came  to  a  reservoir,  prettily 
situated,  and  laid  out  with  ornamental  skill  of  no 
mean  order.  A  cool  and  crystal  torrent  dashing 
down  the  mountain  side,  taking  its  last  plunge  over 
a  large  boulder  of  rock,  was  here  arrested  in  its 
career,  and  from  six  large  tanks  made  to  receive  it, 
conveyed  through  a  covered  aqueduct  along  the  path 
we  had  come  up,  to  the  town  of  Rio,  a  grateful  and 
wholesome  supply  for  its  many  dwellers. 

.Farther  on,  we  met  a  well-built  and  commodious 
summer-house,  and  from  this  spot  the  climbing  part 
of  onr  ascent  commenced.  It  was  nothing  very 
dreadful,  and  we  soon  reached  the  top,  2272  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

Fortune  had  not  favoured  us  in  the  day  she 
selected  for  our  ascent,  as  a  heavy  mist  drifting  in 
from  the  ocean  just  at,  we  arrived  at  the  top  pre- 


VILLA  ISABELLA.  25 

vented  our  seeing  much  beyond  our  own  noses; 
and  had  it  not  been  for  the  exquisite  beauty  of 
the  forest  scenery  we  had  passed  through  on  our 
way  up,  our  toilsome  walk  of  over  two  hours  would 
have  finished  with  unmitigated  disgust  at  our  bad 
luck. 

The  city  of  Rio  Janeiro  being  in  itself  somewhat 
low  and  crowded,  its  suburbs  stretch  in  many  direc 
tions.  Among  these,  Tjuca  seems  the  most  favourite 
abode  for  business  men,  who  gladly  resort  from  their 
stores  and  counting-houses  to  its  cool  and  shady 
heights  3316  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Several 
hotels  are  generally  in  the  hot  weather  quite  full, 
and  as  there  are  charming  swimming-baths,  and  the 
temperature  is  many  degrees  lower  than  in  the  town, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  the  people  flock  there.  H. 
and  myself  went  one  afternoon,  and  half  meditated 
on  taking  up  our  quarters  at  "  White's  Hotel,"  where 
we  dined  ;  but  I  got  so  bitten  by  a  vicious  blood-thirsty 
beast  of  a  fly,  called  a  <k  borrachuta,"  far  worse  than 
either  Canadian  "black  fly,"  or  African  "mosquito;" 
and  my  friend,  the  captain,  got  so  badly-cooked  a 
dinner,  that  neither  of  us  was  inclined  to  carry  out 
our  half- formed  intention. 

Owing  to  work  that  had  to  be  clone  on  board,  H. 
was  unable  to  leave  the  ship  for  any  length  of  time, 
and  not  caring  to  travel  alone,  having  on  a  prior 
occasion  gratified  my  curiosity  by  a  couple  of 
hundred  miles'  trip  into  the  interior  of  the  country, 
I  remained  during  our  whole  stay  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  town,  amusing  myself  by  drives  on  the  various 
tramroads  which  radiated  for  many  miles  round  Rio. 


26  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

Yilla  Isabella  was  one  of  the  places  thus  visited. 
An  interesting  drive  of  about  six  miles  along  a  road, 
at  times  abounding  on  each  side  with  daintily  laid- 
out  gardens  and  villas  of  the  Brazilian  gentry,  while 
at  others,  it  passed  through  parts  of  almost  primitive 
jungle,  affording  a  pleasing  diversity  of  scene  exceed 
ingly  charming. 

A  "matadero"  which  we  passed,  though  hardly 
embellishing  the  beauty  of  the  landscape,  was 
singular  in  appearance  and  not  devoid  of  interest, 
on  account  of  its  entirely  un-Europeari-like  cha 
racter.  Long  before  we  reached  it,  my  attention 
was  attracted  by  the  thousands  of  vultures  which 
seemed  to  be  hovering  over  one  particular  spot. 
This  turned  out  to  be  the  establishment  where  all 
the  animals  required  for  the  use  of  the  town  are 
executed.  It  occupied  a  considerable  space,  and  in 
places  large  heaps  of  heads  and  horns  lay  drying  in 
the  sun. 

The  sky  was  darkened  by  these  horrid  birds,  but 
not  the  slightest  unpleasant  odour  tainted  the  air, 
though  we  passed  sufficiently  close  to  the  ghastly 
heaps  to  have  easily  found  it  out,  had  these  hideous 
yet  most  useful  and  necessary  scavengers,  failed  in 
doing  their  duty. 

The  town  of  Yilla  Isabella,  except  in  being  beauti 
fully  situated,  some  height  above  the  sea,  exactly 
resembled  Dickens's  "  City  of  Salem."  Not  a  single 
house  was  to  be  seen,  but  a  large  plot  of  ground  was 
laid  out  and  staked  off  for  future  building.  The 
names  of  the  different  streets  in  contemplation  were 
already  painted  in  a  conspicuous  manner  on  large 


THE  MARKET.  27 


boards,  marking  their  position,  and  the  distinct  .site 
of  every  edifice  in  this  most  embryo  of  towns  was 
already  most  carefully  and  accurately  put  down. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  the  ground  selected  was 
somewhat  swampy  for  building,  but  with  regard  to 
effect  and  charm  of  position,  hardly  anything  could 
have  been  more  perfect,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that 
but  a  short  time  will  elapse  ere  the  young  embryo 
will  burst  forth  in  full  life,  strength,  and  vigour. 

Rio  does  not  possess  many  places  of  much  interest 
to  the  traveller.  The  Botanical  Gardens  are  fairly 
kept,  and  have  a  fine  avenue  of  cabbage-palms,  but 
perhaps  the  market  is  best  worth  seeing  of  the  whole, 
though  much  necessarily  depends  upon  the  time  of 
year  at  which  it  is  visited. 

All  kinds  of  tropical  productions,  and  almost  every 
variety  of  fruit,  may  here  be  obtained,  but  by  no 
manner  of  means  for  nothing ;  indeed,  the  price  of 
provisions,  vegetables,  fruit,  and  every  kind  of  neces 
sary,  is  most  exorbitant. 

A  small  mean-looking  fish,  of  dark  colour  and 
about  five  pounds  in  weight,  but  whose  Brazilian  or 
Portuguese  name  I  forget,  they  asked  12,000  Reas 
for  (about  27  shillings),  and  most  other  things  were 
pretty  well  in  proportion.  The  prawns  were  the 
finest  I  had  ever  seen,  many  of  them  being  over  six 
inches  long,  and  exceedingly  delicious  in  either 
curry  or  salad.  The  small  crab,  with  sharp  spikes 
on  the  shoulder  of  his  shell,  large  prominent  eyes, 
and  colour  a  light  blue  before  boiling,  can  compete 
for  excellence  with  its  celebrated  brother,  the  West 
Indian  land-crab ;  and  the  avocado,  or  alligator  pear, 


28  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

arrives  at  a  perfection  here  not  to  be  met  with  in 
any  other  part  of  the  world. 

Some  of  the  hotels  had  fairly  good  cooking;  the 
Hotel  de  Globe,  where  I  generally  dined,  probably 
the  best.  For  the  rest  of  the  town  there  is  not 
much  to  be  said.  Everything  is  exceedingly  dear. 
The  beetles  and  humming-birds  exhibited  in  the 
shops  you  can  buy  cheaper  in  either  London  or 
Paris.  The  best  diamonds  go  to  Europe,  and  those 
exposed  for  sale  are  generally  "  off  colour'd  "  and  most 
unmistakeably  "  Cape,"  and  all  things  that  are  of 
interest,  as  being  either  peculiar  to  Brazil  or  manu 
factured  in  Eio,  are  to  be  had  cheaper  out  of  it. 

The  streets  are  narrow  and  crowded,  the  places  of 
amusement,  the  Alcazar,  etc.,  very  second  rate  and 
French,  and  I  was  not  sorry  when  our  visit  drew  to 
a  close. 

We  had  much  trouble  with  the  post-office  people, 
who  were  without  exception  the  most  utterly  in 
efficient,  useless,  insolent,  and  ugly  set  of  officials 
I  ever  came  across.  We  had  the  very  greatest 
difficulty  in  getting  our  letters  from  them,  and  the 
cool  manner  in  which  they  lied  was  absolutely 
bewildering. 

The  tidings  of  an  insurrection  stirred  up  by  the 
priests  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Parahyba,  and  the 
fear  of  a  demand  for  an  English  war-vessel  near  the 
seat  of  action,  made  us  still  more  anxious  to  quit. 

It  appears  that  the  Emperor,  among  his  numerous 
improvements  and  reformations,  has  encouraged  and 
fostered  the  growing  demand  for  education  among 
the  lower  classes,  which  the  Roman  Catholic  priest- 


MONTE   VIDEO.  29 


hood  have  for  so  many  years  successfully  suppressed 
and  neglected.  This  has  caused  the  latter  gentry 
to  kick  rather  over  the  traces,  which  his  Majesty 
promptly  endeavoured  to  arrest,  by  placing  two  of 
their  ringleaders,  who  happened  to  be  bishops,  in 
durance  vile,  and  has  consequently  raised  a  perfect 
clerical  wasps'-nest  round  his  royal  ears. 

He  has  also,  with  the  full  consent  of  his  people, 
put  the  curb  on  many  other  priestly  abuses  far  too 
numerous  to  enter  upon. 

We  were  getting  very  tired  of  the  place.  The 
scenery  was  certainly  very  lovely,  but  looking 
constantly  even  at  the  finest  harbour  in  the  world, 
with  the  thermometer  at  85°  in  the  shade,  and  not  a 
breath  of  air  before  the  arrival  of  the  "  doctor,"  a 
name  given  to  a  sea  breeze  which  in  the  hot  weather 
sets  in  every  afternoon  regularly,  is  apt  to  grow 
monotonous,  and  we  were  quite  ready  to  clear  out, 
which  we  eventually  managed  to  do  on  the  llth  of 
December,  1874. 

Our  run  to  Monto  Video  was  for  H.M.S.  Rocket  a 
good  one,  our  best  day  being  143  miles. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  19th,  we  sighted  the  low 
coast  of  Uruguay,  as  it  extended  for  miles  and  miles 
in  one  unbroken  plain,  with  a  few  ranges  of  hills  in 
the  far  off  distance.  The  land  was  thickly  inter 
spersed  with  cattle  and  horses,  and  occasionally  a 
low-built  ranc/te  betokened  the  habitation  of  their 
owners,  but  not  a  tree  was  to  be  seen  anywhere. 

After  passing  the  little  town  of  Maldonado,  which 
we  did  early  next  morning,  we  were  fairly  in  the 
great  river  La  Plata,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  world. 


30  THE  TWO  AMEE1CAS. 

Rising  in  the  far  off  Andes,  2210  miles  from  its 
mouth,  it  wends  its  way  through  some  of  the  finest 
and  most  productive  lands  on  the  great  continent 
it  waters,  and  debouches  into  the  South  Atlantic  at 
the  part  we  had  now  entered. 

The  water  became  muddy  and  the  current  strong, 
but  the  most  singular  and  peculiar  characteristic  of 
the  river  was  the  strange  manner  with  which  our 
rigging  became  completely  covered  with  long  gos 
samer-like  cobwebs,  betokening,  according  to  some 
of  the  authorities  on  the  subject,  the  close  ap 
proach  of  the  much  dreaded  ''Pampero." 

On  the  20th  of  December  we  anchored  off 
Monte  Video,  finding  there  H.M.SS.  Amethyst  and 
Cracker.  A  considerable  quantity  of  merchant 
shipping  lay  in  the  harbour,  many  of  them  moored 
close  to  the  shore,  while  others  were  anchored  at 
least  four  miles  off  it.  We  were  about  to  pick  up 
our  quarters  among  the  former,  but  the  senior  officer 
in  the  Amethyst  signalled  for  us  "  to  close,"  and 
take  up  a  billet  close  to  him.  We  had  to  obey  the 
order,  and  were  consequently  located  at  the  incon 
venient  distance  of  almost  two  miles  from  the 
nearest  landing-place,  though  only  drawing  eight 
feet  of  water. 

Monte  Video,  a  name  taken  from  the  small  solitary 
hill  overlooking  the  city,  is  a  clean,  well-built  town  ; 
it  possesses  a  few  handsome  buildings,  and  is  laid  out 
in  blocks  on  the  American  plan.  The  principal 
streets  have  tramways  in  them,  the  cars  four  horses, 
and  the  fares  moderate. 

Why  this  system  of  cheap  passenger  traffic  should 


MONTE   VIDEO.  31 


not  be  more  generally  adopted  in  our  large  towns  I 
cannot  conceive,  as,  if  managed  with  the  smallest 
amount  of  care,  it  would  certainly  pay  the  proprietors 
a  handsome  profit  on  their  outlay,  and  be  a  consider 
able  boon  to  the  poorer  classes  of  pedestrians  into 
the  bargain. 

The  English  merchants  have  a  comfortable  club 
house,  provided  witli  papers,  periodicals,  billiard 
tables,  and  a  bar.  They  invariably  invite  all  officers 
of  H.M.  ships  to  become  honorary  members  during 
their  stay  in  harbour,  and  the  officers  on  the  station 
speak  highly  of  their  hospitality  and  kindness.  At 
Buenos  Ayres,  the  same  good  feeling  exists  between 
the  classes,  and  it  appears  that  only  at  Rio  Janeiro 
is  there  any  difference  of  opinion. 

In  a  handsome  square  overlooked  by  the  club, 
ornamented  by  trees,  and  possessing  a  fountain, 
every  night,  from  eight  to  ten,  plays  a  military  band. 
The  music  is  very  dreadful,  chiefly  consisting  of 
cymbals  and  big  drum ;  but  as  the  people  are  pleased 
and  satisfied,  what  does  it  matter  ? 

All  the  fair  damsels  put  on  their  best  attire,  and 
thus  armed  for  conquest  in  costumes  varied  arid 
numerous,  bright  eyes  glance,  and  looks  are  thrown 
such  as  the  daughters  of  sunny  Spain  alone  can 
send,  and  it  is  with  regret  one  listens  to  the  final 
crash  of  execrable  torture,  which  warns  the  pro- 
rnenaders  that  the  time  has  come  for  them  to  return 
home. 

I  had  intended  visiting  Buenos  Ayres,  but  our 
stay  was  so  very  short,  and  the  weather  so  unsettled, 
it  could  not  be  managed ;  so  with  regret  I  had  to 


32  THE   TWO   AMERICAS. 

relinquish  the  idea,  and  instead  of  taking  my  passage 
in  the  Villa  del  Saluto,  for  the  capital  of  the  opposite 
Kepublic,  went  with  H.  to  the  Hotel  del  Prado,  a 
few  miles  from  the  town  instead.  This  is  tho 
Uruguayan  "  Star  and  Garter,"  and  was  designed 
and  built  by  a  German,  who  amassed  a  large  fortune 
in  the  country,  and  at  that  time  inhabited  it  himself. 
After  his  death  it  became  an  hotel,  and  is  now  the 
chief  resort  for  the  upper  classes  of  the  town  to  dine 
and  lunch  at  during  the  summer  months. 

The  house  was  situated  in  the  centre  of  a  well- 
kept  garden,  and  was  approached  by  a  handsome 
avenue  of  trees  ;  but  the  general  effect  was  to  a 
certain  extent  marred  by  the  quantity  of  execrable 
statues  in  stucco  of  all  the  gods  and  goddesses  in 
heathen  mythology,  who  displayed  their  misshapen 
limbs  and  features  on  every  pedestal  and  at  every 
corner  it  was  possible  to  place  them. 

Next  day  I  took  the  train  to  Santa  Lucia,  a  small 
town  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  from  Monte 
Video.  The  engine  and  carriages  were  English,  the 
former  provided  with  a  cow-catcher,  a  necessary 
appendage  where  the  line  is  quite  unprotected,  and 
cattle  as  numerous  as  in  Uruguay. 

After  leaving  the  town,  we  passed  for  some 
distance  through  the  picturesque  suburban  residences 
of  the  gentry.  They  were  flat-roofed  villas,  gaily 
decorated  with  the  brightest  colours,  had  pretty 
little  well-kept  gardens,  with  generally  a  statue  or 
large  ball  of  coloured  glass  by  way  of  ornament,  but 
which  in  reality  spoiled,  through  its  tawdry  vulgarity, 
an  otherwise  very  pleasing  effect.  They  seemed 


SANTA  LUCIA.  33 

quite  toy-houses,  beautifully  clean  (outside)  and 
brilliant  with  paint,  but  far  too  small  to  be  com 
patible  with  an  Englishman's  ideas  of  comfort; 
indeed,  by  no  amount  of  ingenuity  could  one  swing 
a  cat  in  any  of  them. 

The  slowness  of  our  progression  gave  ample  time 
for  inspecting  the  country,  which  extended  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach  in  one  vast  gently-undulating  plain, 
studded  with  cattle  or  cornfields,  but  bearing  on  all 
its  uncultivated  spots  enormous  crops  of  thistles 

The  abundance  of  this  weed  was  quite  surprising, 
and  consisted  chiefly  of  two  kinds — one  a  species  of 
creeper  or  undergrowth,  and  the  other  a  large  plant 
over  six  feet  high,  bearing  a  head  with  a  bright  blue 
flower  on  it  as  large  as  a  moderate-sized  artichoke, 
which  indeed  it  greatly  resembled. 

Aloe,  or  cactus  hedges  were  the  only  kind  of 
protection  the  fields  under  cultivation  had  from 
cattle ;  and  the  corn,  which  was  being  gathered, 
was  taken  without  a  particle  of  straw,  which  re 
mained  on  the  field,  fine  stubble  over  two  feet  high, 
as  cover  for  the  partridges  which  abound  here  during 
the  season. 

The  soil,  where  exposed  by  any  cutting,  was  both 
deep  and  rich,  and  as  from  the  excessive  flat  and 
level  nature  of  the  land  all  kinds  of  agricultural 
machines  might  easily  be  applied,  any  farmer  with 
skill  and  capital  could  shortly  acquire  a  fortune,  the 
purchase  of  land,  or  mere  rent  of  the  farm,  being 
comparatively  speaking  nothing;  and  the  soil  being 
so  rich,  that  superphosphates,  guano,  or  manure,  are 
things  unheard  of. 


34  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

Santa  Lucia  was  a  scattered  sort  of  place,  chiefly 
consisting  of  hotels.  I  got  a  fair  luncheon  at  the 
Hotel  Oriental — a  capital  omelet  and  an  odd-tasted 
preserve  of  tomato.  The  water  supply  for  Monte 
Video  comes  from  here ;  but  I  was  so  plagued  by  flies 
that,  finding  no  good-natured  Moses  to  drive  them 
away,  I  returned  by  the  next  train  to  my  original 
quarters  at  the  other  Hotel  Oriental  in  the  Calle 
de  Solis.  It  is  a  comfortable  hotel,  fairly  clean,  at 
least  in  comparison  with  other  foreign  hotels,  and  by 
far  the  best  in  Monte  Yideo. 

Cleanliness  out  of  England,  or  away  from  hotels 
frequented  and  chiefly  patronized  by  Englishmen,  is 
simply  not  to  be  had  in  the  world.  I  have  been  in 
many  parts  of  it,  entirely  round,  and  in  most  of  its 
corners,  but  have  never  yet  met  cleanliness  of  habits, 
person,  and  habitations  combined,  away  from  our 
egotistical  selves. 

Why  this  should  be  the  case  I  cannot  even  hazard 
a  conjecture.  In  some  lands  I  have  sojourned  in, 
cleanliness  is  a  part  of  the  inhabitants'  faith  ;  but  if 
they  are  clean  in  person,  owing  to  ilie  frequency  of 
ablutions  prescribed  by  their  religious  tenets,  their 
other  habits  are  filthy ;  while  in  others,  the  extra 
ordinary  value  placed  upon  soap  and  water  (for 
outsiders)  shows  that  at  any  rate  they  recognise  a 
virtue  they  do  not  seek  to  attain  themselves. 

On  paying  my  bill  at  the  Oriental  I  found  I  was 
charged  two  shillings  and  ten  pence  for  a  very  small 
cake  of  scented  soap,  and  three  shillings  and  four 
a  day  for  my  cold  bath. 

Two   singular   and   picturesque  characteristics  of 


THE  GAUCHO.  35 


Uruguay  must  not  be  overlooked.  Her  military 
officer,  and  her  gaucho.  The  former  is  chiefly  notice 
able  for  the  excessive  pegtopiness  of  his  trousers. 
Bed  or  white,  they  are  alike  bowed  out  to  such  an 
extent  by  some  virile  kind  of  crinoline,  that,  either 
coming  or  going,  he  resembled  a  young  balloon, 
which  his  very  small  feet  seemed  quite  insufficient 
to  anchor  to  the  ground.  His  appearance,  though 
singular  and  almost  grotesque,  wras  hardly  in 
congruous  with  the  muliplicity  of  habiliments  here 
met  with,  embracing  as  they  do  every  costume  in 
South  America. 

The  gaucho  really  is  a  picturesque  fellow,  whether 
mounted  on  his  mustang  in  ordinary  working  attire, 
his  loose  trousers  fluttering  in  the  breeze,  his  poncho 
streaming  behind  him,  as  galloping  in  full  career  he 
swings  the  lasso ;  or  when,  got  up  for  purposes  of 
effect,  he  comes  into  town  a  pompous  dandy  for  his 
three  days'  spree.  On  the  latter  occasion  he  is  very 
grand  indeed.  His  hair,  long  as  a  woman's,  is 
carefully  combed  out ;  his  poncho  is  of  the  finest 
and  most  costly  material ;  his  sombrero  of  the 
smartest  and  most  cavalier-like  style,  and  his  saddle, 
harness,  stirrups  and  spurs,  one  mass  of  solid  silver. 
I  have  never  yet  seen  a  costume  more  pictur 
esque  and  graceful,  than  that  of  a  well-turned-out 
gaucho. 

Uruguay,  though  at  present  uncommonly  shaky, 
may  one  day  become  a  desirable  country  to  live 
in.  Its  climate  is  healthy  and  temperate,  its  land 
fertile  and  cheap,  and  its  chief  products  of  hides, 
tallow,1  cotton,  and  wool,  much  sought  after,  yet 

D   2 


36  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


most  abundant.  All  European  fruits  and  vegetables 
thrive  under  cultivation,  and  its  water  communica 
tion,  both  by  river  and  sea,  is  almost  the  most  perfect 
in  the  world ;  and  yet  with  all  these  advantages, 
a  resident  of  nine  years'  standing,  a  shrewd  and 
sensible  man,  singularly  capable  of  forming  an  un 
prejudiced  opinion,  told  me  that  he  would  as  soon 
think  of  throwing  spare  capital  into  the  country, 
situated  as  it  is  at  present,  as  he  would  dream  of 
pitching  it  into  the  sea. 

Notwithstanding  all  its  natural  advantages,  which 
are  numerous,  it  is  so  handicapped  by  a  miserable 
Government,  that  industry  becomes  paralysed  and 
life  insecure. 

The  people  to  whom  one  looks  for  protection  are 
the  greatest  robbers,  and  its  rulers  so  many  legalised 
thieves.  Discontent  prevails  on  all  sides,  constant 
rebellions  are  the  consequence,  arid  on  either  side 
the  foreign  settler,  like  the  man  between  two  stools, 
falls  to  the  ground. 

Should  the  party  in  revolt  approach  the  Ranche 
his  neutrality  as  a  foreigner  is  an  unavailing  plea. 
The  "  he  who  is  not  with  me  is  against  me  "  style  of 
argument  prevails,  and  his  cattle  and  hordes  are 
swept  ruthlessly  away.  Should  the  Government 
troops  be  the  visitors,  his  property  is  quite  as 
certainly  harried,  on  the  excuse  that  it  must  be 
prevented  from  falling  into  the  enemy's  hands.  An 
acknowledgment  to  that  effect  is  invariably  tendered 
with  a  promise  to  pay  attached  to  it,  but  as  the 
reimbursement  is  quite  as  invariably  refused  or 
indefinitely  postponed,  on  the  ground  of  there  being 


WRETCHED  MISGOVEENMENT.  37 

no  available  funds  for  that  purpose  at  present,  the 
unfortunate  settler  is  bound  to  lose  on  both  sides. 

Patriotism  among  Uruguayan  legislators  is  as 
extinct  as  the  dodo  in  Madagascar,  and  each  man 
during  his  tenure  of  office  merely  seeks  to  feather 
his  own  nest. 

This  state  of  things  cannot  go  on  for  ever. 
Brazil  has  had  longing  eyes  on  the  rich  provinces 
watered  by  the  La  Plata,  and  ere  many  years  elapse 
she  will  certainly  stretch  forth  and  seize  the  ripe 
fruit  only  too  willing  to  drop  into  her  mouth ;  and 
the  Uruguayans  will  surrender  their  nationality  and 
insecurity  for  amalgamation  and  peace. 


38  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Leave  Monte  Yicleo — Coast  of  Patagonia  —  Port  San  Julian — Wild 
ostrich — The  Tchuelches,  or  na  t  i  ves  of  Patagonia — Early  discoverers — 
Stalking  guanaco — Description  of  guanaco — A  bad  shot— Patagonian 
partridge — Wild  fowl— "Wide-awakes — Tale  of  a  skunk — Leave  San 
Julian — Possession  Bay — More  guanaco  and  ostrich — Death  of  a 
guanaco — A  successful  shot — Terrific  effects  of  Express  bullet. 

ON  the  23rd  of  December  we  left  Monte  Yideo,  and 
next  day  picking  up  a  rattling  fair  wind,  logged 
our  greatest  number  of  knots  in  an  hour,  i.  e.  ten : 
a  very  unusual  rate  of  speed  for  the  old  "  dummy." 
We  were  in  great  glee,  and  anticipated  a  wonderful 
run  to  Magellan.  However,  next  day  we  had  a  gale 
in  our  teeth,  a  regular  "  pampero,"  or  violent  wind 
from  across  the  pampas,  and  for  the  next  four  days 
we  were  knocking  about  under  close-reefed  top-sails 
in  a  heavy  cross  sea,  that  reminded  us  most  unplea 
santly  of  the  weather  we  had  experienced  in  the 
Bay  of  Biscay. 

On  the  3rd  we  sighted  Cape  Blanco.  The  weather 
was  most  unsettled ;  barometer  low,  and  even  the 
standard  compass  affected  to  such  a  degree  that  the 
needle  jumped  about  in  an  erratic  and  uncertain 
fashion,  which  rendered  it  most  difficult  to  steer  by. 
The  wind  came  strong  from  the  south-west,  and  we 


COAST  OF  PATAGONIA.  30 

shaped  our  course  for  Port  Santa  Cruz,  to  get  shelter 
until  the  gale  should  have  moderated. 

Next  morning,  on  approaching  the  land,  we  found 
that  we  would  be  unable  to  fetch  the  harbour,  and 
being  utterly  incapable  of  doing  anything  against 
the  strong  southerly  wind,  ran  up  the  coast  for  Port 
San  Julian,  a  well-sheltered  uninhabited  inlet  on  the 
east  coast  of  Patagonia,  Lat.  49°  15'  S.,  and  Long. 
67°  42'  W.  The  seaboard  here  very  much  resembled 
that  of  Kent  between  Ramsgate  and  Margate.  Per- 
pandicular  white  cliffs,  about  three  hundred  feet 
high,  form  the  coast  line,  and  where  any  indentation 
occurred  we  were  able  to  get  glimpses  of  the  country, 
which  consisted  of  gently  undulating  plains,  covered 
with  short  herbage,  something  similar  at  a  distance 
to  park  land  at  home.  A  few  small  patches  of  short 
thick  scrub  were  the  only  cover,  and  not  a  tree  or 
mountain  was  to  be  seen. 

As  we  neared  the  inlet,  several  distant  mountains 
of  considerable  magnitude  appeared  in  view,  all 
singularly  flattened  out  at  apparently  the  same 
elevation  above  the  sea.  Some  extended  in  long 
ranges  for  miles,  forming  plains  of  table-land  on 
their  summits  ;  while  others  ran  up  in  conic.-il  forms, 
but  with  the  apex  of  the  cone  cut  off,  to  make  a 
diminutive  plateau  in  uniformity  with  the  longer 
ranges  about  them :  but  every  hill,  no  matter  how 
rugged  or  precipitous  its  sides  might  be,  invariably 
exhibited  the  same  flat-topped  peculiarity. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1875,  we  reached  Port  San 
Julian.  It  was  rather  ticklish  work  entering  the 
harbour,  no  chart  of  it  being  supplied,  and  the 


40  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

weather  still  squally  and  uncertain.  A  long  reef 
uncovered  at  low  water  ran  for  about  a  mile  across 
the  entrance,  after  which  we  had  to  work  over  a  bar 
of  sand  on  which  at  one  time  the  leadsman  reported 
only  ten  feet  of  water,  i.  e.9  one  foot  more  than  the 
Rocket's  draught. 

A  heavy  squall,  against  which  the  engines  were 
powerlesss  to  force  us,  suddenly  broke  down,  and, 
though  not  at  our  intended  anchorage,  we  were 
compelled  to  "  let  go  "  until  it  was  over. 

In  half  an  hour  it  cleared  up  and  we  were  again 
able  to  get  under  weigh,  and  again  a  severe  squall 
compelled  us  to  anchor  before  we  had  steamed  two 
hundred  yards.  Again  we  made  an  effort,  and 
this  time  anchored  off  "Sholl  point/'  so  called  from 
a  monument  being  erected  there  over  the  grave 
of  a  lieutenant  of  that  name  belonging  to  a  sur 
veying  ship. 

The  weather  with  unusual  capriciousness  suddenly 
cleared  up,  and  four  ostriches  being  seen  close  to  the 
ship,  H.  and  self  got  our  rifles  and  set  out  after  them. 

The  ground  was  most  unfavourable  for  stalking: 
we  not  knowing  exactly  where  the  birds  were,  they 
saw  us  before  we  saw  them,  their  long  necks  enabling 
them,  even  when  lying  down,  to  command  a  very 
considerable  extent  of  country.  They  did  not  appear 
much  alarmed,  and  looked  at  us  for  some  time  before 
they  moved  slowly  away,  leaving,  however,  one  of 
their  number  to  keep  a  watch  over  our  movements. 
So  unembarrassed,  indeed,  was  their  exit,  that  I 
fancied,  if  we  waited  until  the  sentry  had  crossed  a 
little  ridge  to  which  he  was  slowly  making,  that  by 


STALKING   GUANACO.  41 

running  hard  after  he  had  disappeared,  we  might 
get  a  shot  at  him  before  he  had  gone  many  yards. 
We  accordingly  waited  patiently  until  he  had  got 
over  the  ridge,  and  then  ran  as  hard  as  we  were 
able  for  our  shot,  expecting  to  find  him  close  to  us. 
However,  it  was  not  to  be,  as,  much  to  our  disgust, 
we  saw  he  had  joined  the  main  body,  who  were  by 
this  time  quite  half  a  mile  away  and  still  going  on, 
their  long  necks  poked  clumsily  out  before  them,  as 
they  covered  the  ground  at  a  pace  which  put  all 
idea  of  pursuit  out  of  the  question. 

A  little  further  on  we  saw  a  herd  of  guanaco,  but 
too  far  off  to  do  anything  with,  and  as  it  was  rapidly 
getting  dark  we  retraced  our  way  to  the  ship.  On 
our  way  back  I  got  a  snap  shot  at  some  animal  about 
the  size  of  a  wolf;  but  he  ran  into  some  scrub,  from 
which  it  was  useless  at  this  time  of  the  night  and 
without  dogs  to  attempt  to  dislodge  him. 

Though  devoid  of  either  water  or  inhabitants,  Port 
San  Julian  must  always  command  a  certain  interest, 
as  being  mixed  up  with  the  early  discovery  of  the 
country. 

Magellan,  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago, 
anchored  at  and  named  this  port.  Starting  from 
it,  the  pilot  Serrano  explored  the  coast  to  the  south 
ward  and  discovered  a  river,  which  he  named  Santa 
Cruz,  where  also  he  unfortunately  lost  his  ship. 
Magellan  remained  at  Port  San  Julian  and  Santa 
Cruz  from  April  till  October,  1520,  when  he  sailed 
southward  and  discovered  the  straits  that  bear  his 
name.  Two  months  after  his  arrival  at  Port  San 
Julian,  a  man  of  gigantic  stature  appeared  on  the 


42  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

beach,  larger  and  taller  than  any  of  his  crew ;  and 
shortly  afterwards  eighteen  natives  arrived,  dressed 
in  cloaks  of  skins  and  shoes  of  guanaco  hide,  which 
made  huge  foot-marks,  whence  they  were  called 
"  Patagones/'  or  "  Large  feet,"  by  the  Spaniards ; 
and  thus  originated  in  a  nickname,  the  name  of  the 
country  of  Patagonia. 

The  "  Tehuelches,"  or  Patagonians,  have  not  by 
any  manner  of  means  feet  in  reality  so  extraordinarily 
large  as  those  ascribed  to  them  by  the  Spaniards. 
All  Indian  races  have  naturally  small  feet ;  and 
Musters  in  his  interesting  work  slates  that  on  ex 
changing  boots  he  found  their  feet  to  be  smaller  and 
better  shaped  than  his  own.  On  certain  occasions, 
and  in  wet  or  snowy  weather,  hide  overshoes  are 
worn  similar  to  our  galoshes,  which  so  disenchanted 
Leech's  lover  in  Punch,  that  seeing  his  fair  one's 
foot-prints  in  the  sand, — horror-stricken  he  exclaimed, 
"Beetle-crushers,  by  Jove!"  arid  fled  incontinently 
to  distant  climes ;  so  might  the  early  Spaniards  have 
been  mistaken  about  the  Tehuelches,  and  the  term 
"  patagon,"  or  large  feet,  as  applied  to  the  inhabitants 
by  their  early  discoverers,  really  be  a  complete 
misnomer,  owing  to  the  extra  covering  on  their 
"  potro  "  boots. 

Drake  next  visited  Port  San  Julian  in  1578,  and, 
curiously  enough,  as  Magellan  had  in  this  place  put 
to  death  two,  and  marooned  a  third  of  his  captains 
who  had  mutinied,  so  also  Sir  Francis  Drake  executed 
Mr.  Doughty,  who  chose  rather  to  be  beheaded  than 
to  be  put  on  shore. 

In  the  year  1581  Sarmiento  was  sent  from  Spain 


EAELY  DISCOVEEEES.  43 


with  two  thousand  five  hundred  men,  in  twenty-three 
ships,  to  found  new  colonies  in  the  Straits  and  Pata 
gonia.  On  his  way  back  his  ship  was  captured  by 
the  English,  the  colonists  were  forgotten,  and  five 
years  afterwards  Thomas  Cavendish,  visiting  the 
Straits,  found  at  Port  Famine  twelve  men  and  three 
women  alone  surviving.  Starvation  and  disease  had 
killed  the  rest. 

In  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  Sir  John  Narborough 
took  possession  of  the  country  near  Port  Desire 
in  the  name  of  the  king.  In  the  eighteenth  century 
Byron  and  Wallis  visited  Patagonia,  and  again 
Spain  made  an  effort  to  colonize ;  Francesco,  and 
Antonio  Yiedma  were  sent  in  command.  Antonio 
selected  Port  S.  Julian  as  the  site  of  another  colony, 
and  from  it  explored  to  the  foot  of  the  Cordillera. 
No  further  knowledge  was  gained  of  the  interior 
until  the  survey  of  the  Beagle  described  by  Fitzroy 
and  Darwin,  arid  lately  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  natives  by  Musters. 

The  morning  after  our  arrival  I  started  at  day 
break,  taking  with  me  Martin  and  Major,  the  former 
happy  in  carrying  my  gun  and  the  latter  delighted 
at  once  more  being  on  shore. 

We  had  a  long  and  tedious  walk  for  many  miles, 
over  sandy  and  pebbly  ground  thickly  covered  with 
small  prickly  shrubs  arid  stunted  evergreens.  I  had 
selected  this  line  of  country  the  previous  evening, 
having  perceived  from  the  top  of  a  high  hill  that 
it  contained  the  only  cover  of  any  extent  within 
reach,  and  that  being  apparently  rushy  in  places,  it 
might  probably  hold  a  little  water. 


44  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

The  ground  was  covered  in  all  directions  with,  the 
tracks  and  droppings  of  many  animals.  I  picked 
up  several  lamellated  shells  of  armadillo,  and  some 
ostrich  eggs,  and  though  we  saw  no  spoor  of  any 
carnivorous  beasts,  we  perceived  most  urimi stake- 
able  evidences  of  their  occasional  presence,  from  the 
skeletons  of  guanaco,  whose  bones  were  scattered  in  a 
manner  that  showed  quite  plainly  what  had  been  the 
way  they  perished. 

Finding  that  it  was  hopeless  to  continue  in  this 
valley  and  that  the  rushes  only  grew  in  sandy 
patches  and  were  quite  devoid  of  moisture,  we 
ascended  to  the  higher  land,  and  shortly  after 
discovered  a  herd  of  guanaco  quietly  feeding  about 
a  mile  off. 

The  ground  was  dreadfully  unpromising  for 
approaching  them ;  however,  the  herd  was  to  wind 
ward,  which  gave  me  a  slight  chance,  and,  leaving 
Martin  in  charge  of  my  dog,  I  commenced  to  stalk, 
crawling  on  hands  and  knees,  and  taking  advantage 
of  every  bush,  though  none  of  them  were  much 
larger  than  a  cabbage.  Gradually  and  with  the 
utmost  caution  I  worked  my  way  within  four 
hundred  yards  of  where  they  were  feeding.  There 
were  rive  females,  four  young  ones,  and  one  very  large 
male,  whose  head  was  fully  nine  feet  from  the  ground. 
He  was  a  noble-looking  fellow,  large  in  the  body  as 
a  fair-sized  cow,  and  meat  enough  on  him  for  the 
entire  ship's  company,  could  I  only  succeed  in 
bowling  him  over. 

I  saw  there  was  not  a  twig  to  conceal  me  any 
further ;  so,  taking  out  my  field-glass,  I  watched 


DESCEIPTION  OF  GUANACO.  45 

quietly  in  hope  that  they  might  take  it  into  their 
head  to  feed  up  to  where  I  was  lying  hid.  My  rifle 
was  an  Express,  and  very  uncertain  at  anything  over 
two  hundred  yards. 

The  guanaco  (Auchenia  Huanaca)  is  a  singular- 
looking  animal,  and  may  perhaps  be  best  described 
by  analogy.  The  legs  are  like  a  deer;  his  feet  like 
a  camel,  only  very  much  smaller ;  his  barrel  (that  of 
a  full-grown  male)  as  large  as  a  cow's,  but  re 
sembling  in  shape  a  sheep,  and  covered  with  a  long 
light-red  wool ;  his  neck  rises  straight  and  somewhat 
ungracefully  from  his  shoulders,  like  a  llama's  ;  and 
his  tail  is  bushy,  like  a  Cape  sheep's.  Their  action 
when  galloping  is  clumsy,  and  though  they  cover 
the  ground  at  a  great  pace,  from  the  straight  and 
awkward  way  they  carry  their  long  necks,  which  are 
poked  clumsily  out  before  them,  and  their  lolloping 
stride,  they  appear  to  be  going  much  slower  than 
they  actually  are. 

They  are,  however,  fine  animals,  not  particularly 
shy,  and  well  worth  a  sportsman's  attention,  though  I 
believe  when  mounted  it  is  easy  enough  to  kill  them. 

All  this  time  the  herd  were  quietly  feeding  away 
from  me,  so  my  only  chance  lay  in  trying  to  wriggle 
within  shot.  I  commenced  my  crawl,  got  about 
forty  yards  nearer,  and  was  then  found  out.  The 
does  immediately  formed  group,  placing  their  young 
ones  in  the  centre,  and  commenced  neighing  fiercely, 
while  the  buck,  detaching  himself  from  the  herd, 
reconnoitred  my  position,  neighing  and  chattering 
most  vociferously  the  whole  time.  The  does  then 
moved  slowly  away  at  a  gentle  trot,  halting  from 


40  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


time  to  time  and  looking  round,  the  buck  remaining 
well  in  rear  guarding  them  from  the  danger,  and 
rather  circling  round,  as  if  to  get  my  wind,  evi 
dently  being  bothered  to  make  out  what  so  unusual 
an  object  on  his  feeding-ground  could  possibly  be. 
The  chances  are  a  hundred  to  one  he  never  saw  a 
human  creature  before,  the  country  being,  as  far  as 
we  could  judge,  entirely  devoid  of  water,  and 
consequently  unable  to  support  tlje  wandering  tribes 
of  Tehuelches  who  inhabit  Patagonia.  As  for  vessels, 
nothing  but  the  stress  of  weather  while  in  the 
absolute  vicinity  of  the  port  would  ever  induce  them 
to  call  here. 

The  herd  soon  trotted  away  over  the  brow  of  a 
little  hill  and  were  out  of  sight,  and  as  my  inquisitive 
friend  was  about  to  follow  their  example,  I  let  drive, 
and,  much  to  my  satisfaction,  saw  him  go  over.  He 
immediately  recovered  himself,  and,  at  a  slinging 
gallop,  made  for  the  herd,  now  some  distance  ahead. 
My  feet,  unaccustomed  to  much  exercise  on  board 
ship,  were  blistered  from  my  long  walk ;  my  right 
leg,  which  I  smashed  two  years  ago,  had  broken 
down,  and  I  was  quite  unequal  to  following  up  the 
wounded  guanaco;  however,  I  mustered  up  a  "spurt" 
for  the  occasion,  and  ran  on  as  fast  as  I  was  able,  to 
cut  him  off ;  the  rest  having  circled  to  my  left,  and 
the  buck  being  quite  unable  to  reach  them. 

It  was  hard  work,  but  I  succeeded ;  and  turning 
away  for  a  line  of  his  own,  he  gave  me  two  more 
shots,  at  from  five  to  seven  hundred  yards,  both  of 
which  I  missed,  and,  to  my  inexpressible  mortifica 
tion,  saw  him  go  away,  slowly  ceitairily,  but  still 


PATAGONIAN  PARTRIDGE.  47 

much  too  far  for  a  cripple  to  think  of  following  him 
up,  and  much  to  my  disgust  I  hobbled  away  towards 
the  ship,  not  at  all  certain  of  getting  there  without 
assistance. 

On  our  way  Lack  Major  found  and  put  up  some 
very  large  partridges,  one  of  which  I  managed  to  bag. 
He  was  of  a  dusky-brown  colour,  had  short  wings, 
long  neck,  remarkably  small  head,  no  tail,  and  about 
the  size  and  weight  of  a  well-fed  hen  pheasant,  and 
proved  excellent  eating  a  day  or  so  afterwards. 

On  getting  near  the  coast,  I  picked  up  a  goose, 
a  few  wild  duck,  and  several  banduria,  the  latter 
a  large  and  handsome  species  of  ibis ;  but  I  was 
precious  glad  of  a  pair  of  slippers,  and  enjoyed  my 
bath  uncommonly  when  I  got  on  board. 

In  the  afternoon  a  party  went  away  with  the  seine, 
under  charge  of  the  gunner ;  but  not  appearing  to 
understand  the  business  they  caught  no  fish,  though 
there  must  have  been  quantities  about,  judging  from 
the  number  of  birds  we  saw  diving  after  them,  and 
the  shoals  of  porpoise  cruising  inside  the  harbour. 
H.  and  self,  after  visiting  the  seining  party  in  the 
galley,  sailed  down  to  a  small  island  about  five  miles 
from  our  •anchorage,  which  was  literally  alive  with 
sea-birds. 

The  quantities  of  wide-awakes  even  exceeded  those 
at  Ascension,  and  anyone  who  has  ever  witnessed 
the  celebrated  "  wide-awake  fair  "  at  that  most  abo 
minable  of  islands  will  be  able  to  judge  what  num 
bers  of  them  must  have  been  here.  The  ground  was 
so  thickly  covered  with  their  eggs,  that  it  was  quite 
impossible  to  walk  about  without  treading  on  them, 


48  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

and  the  sky  was  absolutely  darkened  by  the  clouds  of 
birds  who,  alarmed  at  our  approach,  were  wheeling 
and  screaming  in  frightened  circles  round  our  heads. 

They  are  pretty,  graceful  little  birds ;  pure  white 
body,  with  a  black  cap  and  forked  tail,  about  the 
size  of  a  golden  plover,  and  have  a  flight  not  unlike 
them.  Their  eggs,  both  in  size,  colour,  and  taste,  re 
semble  the  lapwing's.  We  took  away  about  a  bushel, 
and  found  them  excellent  for  cakes  and  omelettes, 
as  well  as  eaten  cold,  hard  boiled.  They  are  a 
species  of  tern,  and  it  was  interesting  to  watch  them 
dashing  from  a  height  into  the  water,  throwing  up  a 
splash  like  the  rise  of  a  large  trout  in  their  head 
long  dive  after  their  fishy  prey.  Another  island  was 
inhabited  by  shags,  both  black  and  white  breasted, 
and  quantities  of  geese,  duck,  and  all  kinds  of  wild 
fowl  were  to  be  found  everywhere.  We  killed  a 
good  many  different  kinds  during  the  afternoon,  and 
fired  at  a  couple  of  magnificent  black-necked  swans 
(Cygnus  nigricollls).  On  our  way  back,  H.  landed 
with  the  dogs  to  look  for  guanaco,  and  my  feet  being 
still  tender,  I  remained  in  the  boat  and  shot  wild  fowl 
of  various  descriptions  as  we  coasted  along. 

Failing  to  get  within  shot  of  some  guanaco  which 
he  saw,  he  vented  his  rag-e  on  a  skunk,  which  he 
made  Martin  carry  down  to  the  boat,  and  as  long  as 
I  live  never  shall  I  forget  the  odour.  Major,  who 
was  with  him,  had  been  permitted  to  retrieve  it,  and 
smelt  as  badly  as  the  u  varmint"  itself,  and  every 
thing  that  even  went  near  the  brute  became  tainted 
with  its  dreadful  smell. 

The  whole  ship  stank,  as  he  very  foolishly  brought 


LEAVE  POET  SAN  JULIAN.  49 

it  on  board,  and  the  galley  retained  its  stench  for 
days,  though  carbolic  and  other  disinfectants  were 
freely  used.  In  the  cabin  we  burned  brown  paper, 
pastiles,  and  sprinkled  carbolic  acid.  Poor  Major 
was  rubbed  with  train  oil  and  sulphur,  to,  if  possible, 
deaden  the  smell ;  but  it  was  weeks  before  the 
"  bouquet  de  skunk  "  became  entirely  eradicated. 

Early  next  morning  we  went  after  guanaco  again. 
II.  got  a  shot,  which  he  missed,  and  they  did  not 
come  near  me.  I  was  much  struck  with  the 
enormous  quantities  of  huge  fossil  oyster-shells 
which  we  saw  everywhere ;  on  all  the  hills  they 
were  strewn  thickly,  and  even  on  Mount  Wood, 
nearly  a  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
they  were  lying  in  hundreds;  while  in  the  sen,  at 
the  very  lowest  water,  we  were  unable  to  find  any 
live  ones.  On  the  7th  of  January  we  left  Port  San 
Julian,  and  after  experiencing  all  kinds  of  unsettled 
weather,  the  wind  often  shifting  all  round  the 
compass  in  a  single  day,  we  anchored  in  Possessi<  n 
Bay,  off  Tandy  Point,  on  the  10th  of  January, 
about  thirty  miles  from  Cape  Dungeness,  and  well 
inside  the  Straits  of  Magellan. 

The  aspect  of  the  country  was  somewhat  similar 
to  that  in  the  vicinity  of  Port  San  Julian,  excej  t 
that  the  herbage  was  thicker,  more  luxuriant,  and 
evidently  far  better  feeding-ground.  The  land  was 
undulating,  and  consisted  of  a  succession  of  small  hills, 
with  occasional  patches  of  what  would  be  in  winter 
swampy  ground,  but  which  were  now  perfectly  dry, 
and  only  marked  by  the  luxurious  growth  of  grass, 
which  was  at  least  four  feet  high  in  parts  of  them. 

E 


50  THE   TWO  AMEEICAS. 


Not  a  single  tree  was  to  be  seen,  and  far  off  in  the 
distance,  across  the  pampas,  were  lofty  ranges  of 
mountains  flattened  into  table-land  on  the  summit, 
and  of  similar  appearance  to  those  we  had  already 
remarked  more  to  the  northward.  H.  and  self  went 
on  shore  as  early  as  possible,  and  after  some  little 
difficulty  in  landing,  in.  consequence  of  the  long 
extent  of  beach  and  shallow  water  occasioned  by  the 
tide  being  out,  succeeded  in  settling  our  carnp  for  the 
day,  and  lit  a  fire  for  the  boat's  crew  to  cook  by 
during  our  absence. 

We  had  not  gone  many  hundred  yards  before  the 
innumerable  paths  made  by  guanaco  (whose  dis 
position  in  this  respect,  i.e.,  that  of  following  a 
leader  on  the  line  of  march,  strongly  resembles  that 
of  sheep)  convinced  us  we  were  in  a  country  abound 
ing  with  game,  and  almost  immediately  afterwards, 
by  way  of  corroborating  the  idea,  we  saw  a  large 
troop  of  ostriches,  who  were  however  far  too  wary  to 
allow  us  to  get  within  shot.  As  we  went  farther 
inland  guanaco  appeared  all  round.  Singly  and  in 
herds  they  were  grazing  in  all  directions,  nor  did 
those  who  saw  us  seem  particularly  alarmed  at  our 
presence,  for,  after  having  apparently  satisfied  their 
curiosity  by  a  prolonged  stare,  they  recommenced 
their  grazing  as  if  nothing  had  happened  to  disturb 
the  usual  serenity  of  their  existence. 

We  got  within  four  hundred  yards  of  one  herd 
before  they  showed  any  alarm,  and  on  lying  flat 
down  were  surprised  at  their  actually  approaching 
us,  an  old  male  neighing  fiercely,  stamping  his  feet, 
and  always  some  distance  in  advance.  He  was 


AIOBE  GUANACO  AND   OSTRICH.  51 

much  larger  than  any  of  the  others  and  of  a  darker 
colour,  his  head  in  particular  being  more  massive  and 
coarser  in  appearance. 

We  remained  quiet,  hoping  their  curiosity  would 
induce  them  to  come  still  nearer;  but  something 
happening  to  alarm  them  in  another  quarter,  some  of 
the  herd  took  to  flight,  and  fearing  we  should  lose 
our  shot,  we  both  fired,  and  both  missed,  when  they 
were  about  three  hundred  yards  distant. 

Men  missing  a  fair  shot  invariably  find  an  excuse 
for  their  clumsiness,  and  I  certainly  ascribe  the  fault 
to  my  Express  rifle,  whose  shooting  at  anything  over 
two  hundred  yards  is  faulty  in  the  extreme. 

I  aimed  with  the  greatest  care  and  caution,  resting 
on  my  elbows,  and  can  only  say  that  with  an  ordinary 
service  rifle  I  have  more  than  once  put  twenty  shots 
running  on  a  smaller  target  and  at  a  greater  range*. 
An  Express  is  the  best  of  weapons  for  a  short  range 
at  dangerous  game,  but  is  not  to  be  depended  on  at 
anything  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards. 

On  returning  to  camp  for  our  breakfast,  we  heard 
that  another  party  from  the  ship  had  been  more  suc 
cessful,  and  had  succeeded  in  getting  a  guanaco,  and 
catching  a  young  ostrich  alive  ;  so  sending  some  men 
to  assist  in  carrying  it  to  the  boats,  we  started  off  in 
an  opposite  direction  to  try  our  luck  anew. 

The  game  on  our  fresh  beat  was  by  no  means  as 
numerous  as  on  the  ground  we  had  travelled  over  in 
the  morning ;  and  though  we  saw  several  guanaco, 
they  were  generally  alone,  very  wary,  and  seemed  to 
be  young  males,  not  yet  sufficiently  dignified  to  be 
trusted  with  the  duties  arid  responsibilities  of  a  harein. 

E  2 


52  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

After  walking  some  miles  without  being  able  to  get 
close  enough,  to  risk  a  shot  at  any  of  them,  we  agreed 
to  separate  at  the  foot  of  a  range  of  hills,  so  that 
by  each  taking  a  different  side,  one  of  us  might  get 
a  chance  at  the  quarry  disturbed  by  the  other. 

For  over  an  hour  I  tramped  along  without  seeing 
anything  except  a  couple  of  wolves  and  some  foxes ; 
the  latter  were  very  numerous,  and  later  on  we  saw 
still  more  of  them  at  all  the  harbours  along  this 
part  of  the  coast  until  we  reached  Punta  Arena. 

The  spoors  of  many  wild  animals  crossed  my  path, 
chiefly  puma  and  wolf,  arid  somewhat  despondent 
from  our  bad  luck  in  the  morning,  and  seeming  to 
starve  in  the  rnidst  of  plenty,  the  traces  of  game  both 
from  tracks  and  droppings  being  so  very  plentiful,  I 
was  thinking  of  retracing  my  way  to  camp,  when 
through  my  glasses,  on  a  distant  hill,  I  observed  a 
guanaco  feeding  by  himself,  and  on  examining  the 
ground  carefully,  found  that  it  was  tolerably  favour 
able  for  a  stalk. 

Leaving  Martin  with  my  spare  gun  and  Major, 
I  set  off;  and  having  taken  bearings  with  great 
care,  managed  my  ground  so  that  I  got  within  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  him,  without  either  seeing 
the  guanaco  or  being  suspected  myself,  and  then  lying 
quite  flat  I  wriggled  on  both  elbows  to  a  slightly 
rising  ground  where  I  expected  to  get  my  first  view, 
and  where  I  got  it. 

The  ground  was  covered  with  small  but  needle- 
like  thorns,  which  went  through  my  light  tweed 
shooting-coat  as  if  it  had  been  paper;  elbows  and 
knees  were  like  a  pin-cushion  and  bleeding  freely, 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SHOT.  53 

but  I  do  not  think  I  knew  it  or  felt  the  slightest 
pain,  as  I  watched  this  noble-looking  animal  quietly 
grazing  at  little  over  one  hundred  yards  from  where 
I  lay  panting  with  excitement  and  fatigue. 

To  get  an  inch  nearer  without  discovery  was  an 
impossibility,  and  not  daring  to  risk  a  shot  in  my 
present  breathless  and  excitable  condition,  I  remained 
motionless  watching  his  movements  and  hoping  he 
would  come  a  little  nearer. 

He  was  feeding  quietly,  occasionally  scratching 
himself,  but  being  almost  broadside  on  did  not  lessen 
the  distance,  and  having  quite  recovered  my  breath 
I  raised  myself  on  my  elbow  to  take  aim. 

He  saw  me  instantly,  and  uttering  the  usual  shrill 
neigh  of  alarm  and  challenge,  half  turned  to  where  I 
lay ;  the  movement  was  favourable,  and  the  same  in 
stant  my  Express  bullet  crashed  through  his  shoulder, 
smashing  the  bone  completely,  but  riot  sufficiently 
high  to  pierce  the  body  or  cause  instant  death ;  and 
plunging  madly  forward,  he  galloped  and  stumbled 
some  five  hundred  yards  down  the  hill,  where  he  lay 
down,  and  without  a  struggle  permitted  me  to  put 
him  out  of  pain  with  my  hunting- knife. 

Sending  Martin  to  the  camp  for  help,  I  lighted  my 
pipe  and  had  a  nice  quiet  smoke.  Major,  and  the 
dead  guanaco,  formed  a  picture  in  the  foreground, 
while  far  away  in  the  distance  stretched  these  grand 
unconfined  plains,  extending  into  boundless  space, 
one  great  undulating  meadow,  inconceivable  in  ex  tent 
and  alive  with  game. 

Shortly  afterwards  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  see 
H.  and  a  couple  of  men  in  the  distance.  I  fired  a 


54  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

few  shots  in  the  air  to  attract  them,  and  was  exceed 
ingly  glad  when  they  joined  me,  not  being  at  all 
confident  in  4<  Mr.  Martin's "  powers  of  finding  the 
spot  again,  and  not  relishing  the  idea  of  being  left 
by  myself  half  the  night. 

Having  cleaned  the  guanaco,  which  proved  to  be 
a  young  buck  about  three  years  old,  \ve  set  to  work 
to  drag  him  to  the  camp  which  was  about  four  miles 
off,  by  a  couple  of  dog-chains  round  the  hind-legs ; 
but  afterwards  getting  more  men,  we  slung  him  on 
an  oar  and  eventually  got  him  on  board,  where, 
minus  head  and  interior,  he  weighed  one  hundred 
and  eighty  pounds. 

In  firing  signals,  one  of  my  cartridges  in  the  shot 
gun  burst  in  the  breech,  and  gave  me  a  nasty  burn 
in  the  wrist,  driving  in  grains  of  unconsumed  powder 
in  a  manner  which  has  slightly  tattooed  me  for  life, 
arid  may  in  the  event  of  a  disputed  identity  help  to 
prove  me — myself. 

Having  abused  the  Express  rifle  as  a  \veapori  for 
guanaco-shooting  at  long  ranges,  I  must  now  testify 
to  its  truly  terrific  powers  when  the  bullet  gets  well 
home,  as  it  did  in  the  instance  I  have  just  narrated. 
On  examining  the  guanaco  next  day,  I  was  astonished 
at  the  terrible  wound  produced  by  so  light  a  ball, 
the  large  bone  of  the  shoulder  just  below  the  socket 
having  not  only  been  broken  to  bits,  but  the  pieces 
themselves  actually  driven  through  the  thick  hide 
(thicker  if  anything  than  a  bullock's)  on  the  opposite 
side,  where  they  came  through  with  the  ball  in 
several  small  holes,  covering  a  space  a  little  larger 
than  the  palm  of  my  hand. 


GREGOEY  DAY.  55 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Gregory  Eay— Camp  out— Duck-shooting  in  the  Straits  of  Magellan 
—A  quiet  little  lough— Hard  work  for  Major— Contents  of  the  bag- 
Elizabeth  Island— Sold— Upland  geese -Santa  Magdalena— Laredo 
Bay — Black-necked  swaii — Punta  Arenas— Don  Enrique— Gold  and 
Coal — Friendly  relations  with  the  natives — Ladies  of  Patagonia — 
Chus— Terra  del  Fuego— The  Fuegans— A  Chilian  feed— Scenery  in 
the  Straits  of  Magellan  —  Williwaws  —  Extraordinary  growth  of 
moss__Ladies  of  Terra  del  Fuego— Seals. 

EARLY  in  the  morning  of  the  12th  of  January,  we 
left  Possession  Bay,  and  after  passing  through  the 
"  first  narrows," — the  country  on  the  Patagonian 
side  much  resembling  what  we  had  already  seen, 
while  that  of  Terra  del  Fuego  was  more  stony, 
barren,  and  cheerless, — we  anchored  the  same  after 
noon  in  Gregory  Bay,  and  shortly  afterwards  H. 
and  myself,  taking  with  us  my  tent  arid  canteen 
(both  of  which  I  can  recommend  if  portability  be  an 
object,  though  of  course  more  comforts  are  obtained 
by  more  weight),  set  off  to  camp  out  on  the  banks  of 
a  small  river  some  six  miles  from  our  anchorage,  and 
where  we  hoped,  on  the  principle  of  the  early  bird, 
to  get  good  sport  the  next  morning. 

After  pitching  our  tent  and  rigging  up  a  sail  for 
a  couple  of  the  boat's  crew,  and  Martin  and  the 
steward  who  remained  with  us,  we  collected  firewood 


5G  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

and  dried  guanaco  dung,  the  latter  proving  excellent 
fuel  for  the  canteen  stove  ;  and,  after  a  mess  of 
guanaco  hash  for  all  hands,  turned  in  and  slept  most 
comfortably,  though  it  was  blowing  half  a  gale  of 
wind  all  night.  From  the  exposed  position  in  which 
we  were  placed,  which  enabled  an  unusually  strong 
breeze  to  act  freely  on  the  tent,  I  was  most  gratified 
at  finding  the  next  morning  that  it  stood  successfully 
so  severe  an  ordeal. 

Next  morning,  a  little  before  daylight,  I  sounded 
the  "  rouse,"  and  after  a  cup  of  hot  cocoa,  H.  and  I 
started  along  the  banks  of  the  little  stream,  which 
ran  a  few  yards  from  our  encampment.  The  country 
we  shot  over  consisted  chiefly  of  a  line  of  smnll  hills, 
making  a  well-watered  valley  between  them  and 
Gregory  Range — a  high  and  long  line  of  mountains 
some  seven  miles  distant,  rather  rugged  and  pre 
cipitous  on  the  sides,  but  flat-topped,  with  apparently 
table-land  on  the  summit. 

A  few  stunted  bushes  grew  along  the  coast  line, 
but  nowhere  else,  the  country  being  either  marsh  or 
pampas,  while  the  low  hills  were  plentifully  covered 
with  calif  ate  berries  (Berberis  axifolia),  and  wild 
celery,  which  afford  at  this  time  of  the  year  the 
principal  food  of  the  upland  goose. 

A  bird  so  fed  we  discovered  afterwards  formed  a 
dish  well  worthy  of  notice. 

Little  seemed  to  be  stirring  in  the  early  dawn,  and 
for  the  first  half-hour  a  stray  snipe,  and  a  couple  of 
crafty-looking  foxes  returning  from  their  nocturnal 
rambles,  were  all  we  met  The  ground  was  well- 
niarked  with  guanaco  paths,  though  we  saw  nothing 


DUCK-SHOOTING  IN  THE  STRAITS  OF  MAGELLAN-  57 

of  them.  Shortly  afterwards  we  entered  a  thick  bed 
of  long  rank  grass  and  water-weeds,  covering  some 
swampy  ground,  through  the  centre  of  which  perco 
lated  a  small  sluggish  stream.  Here  the  fun  com 
menced,  and  for  about  twenty  minutes  we  got  some 
of  the  prettiest  duck-shooting  imaginable,  the  birds 
rising  singly  and  in  pairs,  and  affording  most  excel 
lent  sport. 

Major  retrieved  them  very  creditably,  and  after 
picking  up  a  snipe,  and  getting  a  few  very  long 
shots  at  geese,  we  passed  over  a  hill,  from  the  brow 
of  which  we  saw  a  small  lagoon  completely  covered 
with  wild  fowl  of  all  descriptions.  Sea-gulls  and 
wide-awakes  hovered  in  hundreds  over  the  water, 
on  whose  bosom  floated  in  stately  pride  two  magni 
ficent  black-necked  swans;  while  numerous  flocks 
of  duck  and  teal  disported  and  plumed  themselves 
on  its  tranquil  and  sunlit  depths. 

A  more  beautiful  sight  I  have  seldom  witnessed 
than  this  quiet  little  lough,  so  seldom  disturbed 
by  man  in  these  unfrequented  wilds  of  Southern 
Patagonia. 

Being  pressed  for  time,  we  were  unable  to  con 
template  its  charms  for  many  minutes,  and,  rapidly 
descending,  soon  altered  its  peaceful  character  by 
rapid  discharges  at  the  geese  and  duck  who  came 
flying  round  us.  The  edges  of  the  lake  were  covered 
with  floating  lilies,  and  as  the  ground  near  it  was 
soft  mud,  merely  covered  with  a  thick  matting  of 
aquatic  plants,  which  were  only  strong  enough  to 
support  a  man's  weight  in  certain  parts,  we  were 
unable  to  get  many  of  the  birds  that  fell  in  the 


58  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

water,  the  thin  lace-work  of  weeds  preventing  Major 
from  swimming.  We  constantly  went  up  to  our 
waists  through  these  plants,  into  the  soft  slush  they 
covered,  but  had  some  exceedingly  pretty  shooting, 
which  far  more  than  compensated  for  our  wetting. 

Unfortunately  we  were  obliged  to  be  back  at  the 
camp  by  nine  o'clock.  Had  we  continued  shooting 
all  day,  our  list  I  am  confident  would  have  been 
something  worth  recording.  As  it  was,  our  two  men 
were  quite  satisfied  with  their  load ;  and  considering 
that  we  had  some  miles  to  march  back  to  the  camp, 
and  that  we  packed  up,  struck  tents,  and  embarked 
by  9  A.M.,  I  think  our  bag,  for  a  before-breakfast 
one — consisting  of  seventeen  ducks,  three  geese,  five 
snipes,  five  large  water-hens  (Fulica  cliilensis),  one 
teal,  and  a  grebe — was  not  a  bad  one.  Could  we 
have  picked  up  all  we  knocked  over,  it  would  have 
been  considerably  larger ;  but  at  any  rate  it  is  suffi 
cient  to  give  an  idea  of  what  might  have  been  done 
had  we  been  enabled  to  remain  for  a  whole  day 
instead  of  only  for  a  few  hours.  On  our  way  back 
we  crossed  some  plains  quite  covered  with  califate 
berries,  and  saw  several  large  flocks  of  geese  feeding 
on  them ;  but  they  were  much  'too  wary  to  allow  us 
to  get  within  shot. 

The  ship  having  dropped  down  from  her  anchorage 
(close  to  a  long  isthmus  at  the  head  of  the  bay)  to 
pick  us  up,  we  passed  through  the  "  second  narrows," 
some  nine  miles  long  and  from  three  to  five  broad, 
and  went  on  to  Elizabeth  Island,  where  we  expected 
to  get  the  cream  of  Magellan  shooting,  but  where  we 
were  doomed  to  be  bitterly  disappointed. 


ELIZABETH  ISLAND.  59 

This  island,  named  after  our  virgin  queen  by  Sir 
Francis  Drake,  is  about  eight  miles  long,  and  seldom 
more  than  one  broad.  It  is  composed  of  ranges  of 
heights  extending  in  ridges  in  the  direction  of  its 
length,  the  highest  hill,  on  the  north-east  side,  being 
one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  above  the  sea.  The 
sides  are  precipitous,  and  at  the  time  we  visited  it, 
some  half-dozen  dried  up  lagoons  constituted  the 
only  signs  of  fresh  water.  The  hills  were  covered 
with  berries  of  various  kinds,  and  wild  celery  grew 
in  profusion  everywhere,  affording  excellent  feeding 
for  the  swans  and  geese  who  visit  it  at  various 
seasons  for  breeding  purposes. 

We  heard  such  accounts  of  the  number  of  geese 
killed  here  on  different  occasions  by  ships  visiting 
the  island,  that  we  went  on  shore  regularly  prepared 
for  slaughter.  We  brought  several  sacks  which  we 
expected  to  fill — the  ship's  company,  some  of  whom 
had  been  here  before  in  the  Nassau  and  other 
surveying  vessels,  knowing  the  capabilities  of  the 
island,  anticipated  fresh  rations  for  some  days — and 
visions  of  foi  gras,  which  was  not  only  to  last  the 
entire  commission,  but  to  be  given  away  wholesale, 
crossed  our  eager  imagination. 

"  Eh&rnme  propose"  etc. — the  birds  had  all  flown  ; 
and  these  grand  anticipations  ended  in  our  only 
killing  three  geese.  We  were  just  a  fortnight  late ; 
and  the  island,  which  appears  to  be  inhabited  in 
rotation  during  the  summer  months  by  these  dif 
ferent  birds  for  a  nursery,  was  now  occupied  by 
immense  flocks  of  tern  (the  wide-awake),  whose  eggs 
and  young  ones  were  in  thousands  at  a  point  not  far 


60  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

from  where  we  landed.  We  got  enough  fresh  eggs  to 
keep  us  in  omelettes,  and  to  serve  for  other  culinary 
purposes  for  some  time,  but  it  was  a  poor  compensa 
tion  for  our  disappointment  concerning  the  wild 
geese. 

These  geese,  commonly  called  "upland,"  to  dis 
tinguish  them  from  the  "  kelp,"  or  coast  goose,  are 
the  very  handsomest  of  their  species;  and  though  I 
have  shot  many  different  kinds  in  China  (which 
abounds  with  all  sorts  of  wild  fowl),  as  well  as  in 
other  parts  of  the  world,  I  never  yet  met  any  which 
could  compare  with  them  in  personal  appearance. 
Quite  as  large  as  the  ordinary  wild  goose  of  Europe, 
they  are  distinguished  by  a  more  gamey  look,  and 
a  far  more  brilliant  plumage.  The  head  and  bill  are 
smaller,  the  breast  is  covered  with  feathers  very  like 
those  on  a  cock  grouse,  and  exhibiting  the  same 
glossy  sheen  so  noticeable  in  a  healthy  bird  ;  the 
head  and  neck  are  of  a  delicate  brown ;  the  under 
neath  part  of  the  wing  pure  wrhite  ;  the  upper,  white 
and  indigo  black ;  the  latter  feathers  in  the  sunshine 
taking  the  brilliant  colouring  seen  in  the  plumage  of 
a  magpie  or  mallard. 

Many  other  islands  in  the  Straits  of  Magellan  are 
during  the  breeding-season  thus  occupied,  and  to  the 
innumerable  foxes  who  frequent  the  mainland  may 
be  ascribed  the  reason  that  the  birds  wisely  resort 
to  those  sea-protected  abodes  to  escape  their  ravages. 

Passing  close  to  Santa  Magdalena,  an  island  covered 
with  penguins,  and  having  traces  of  the  recent  visit 
of  some  whaling  or  sealing  vessels,  whose  old  casks 
and  useless  spars  were  scattered  about  the  beach,  we 


LAEEDO  BAY.  01 


anchored  at  Laredo  Bay,  where  we  entered  on  our 
first  experience  of  wooding.  A  profusion  of  excellent 
drift  wood  for  firing  purposes  was  lying  along  the 
beach,  and  in  a  short  time  our  decks  were  piled  with 
huge  stacks  in  every  direction. 

The  country  here  began  to  change  in  appearance, 
and  the  first  signs  of  wooded  land  showed  themselves. 

A  large  plain  of  high  grass,  with  a  few  swampy 
places  in  it,  lay  opposite  our  anchorage,  and  in  it  we 
Idlled  a  few  brace  of  wild  duck  and  snipe.  A  mile 
across  it  was  situated  a  large  circular  lagoon  about 
two  miles  in  diameter,  on  which  were  almost  always 
eight  or  a  dozen  black-necked  swans ;  they,  how 
ever,  carefully  remained  in  or  about  the  centre.  The 
sides  of  the  lake  were  partly  wooded,  and  the  scenery 
very  pretty;  clumps  of  timber  being  scattered 
on  the  hills  resembling  ornamental  planting,  so 
admirably  were  they  placed  by  nature  with  regard 
to  picturesque  effect.  The  ground  was  covered  with 
thick  herbage  well  adapted  for  horse  and  cattle 
pastures,  and  the  sheltered  little  valleys  running 
towards  the  lake  were  covered  with  all  kinds  of 
flowers  and  berries,  chiefly  black  and  red  currant. 

Outside  these  wooded  and  wind  protected  spots, 
the  country  was  bleak  and  desolate,  and  ran  in  one 
vast  undulating  pampa  far  away  to  some  distant 
snow-capped  mountains ;  dreary,  uninteresting, 
covered  with  patches  of  tussac  grass  and  clumps  of 
moss,  through  which  we  sank  above  our  knees,  and 
utterly  devoid  of  game. 

A  couple  of  Chilians  had  in  charge  a  considerable 
number  of  horses  belonging  to  the  settlement  at 


62  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

Sandy  Point  which  were  being  summered  here,  and 
we  also  saw  two  encampments  or  "  toldos  "  of  the 
Patagonians.  They  resembled  gipsy  huts  in  England 
in  shape,  only  guanaco  hides  were  substituted  for 
the  usual  canvas  covering  used  at  home.  Apropos 
of  guanaco,  the  one  I  shot  at  Possession  Bay  was 
excellent  eating;  it  had  dark  flesh,  like  Highland 
mutton,  and  tasted  something  like  veal.  As  fresh 
meat  was  utterly  unprocurable,  and  owing  to  the 
steward  getting  drunk  at  Monte  Yideo  we  had  left 
harbour  without  any  sheep  (a  great  sell,  as  they  only 
cost  six  shillings  apiece  there),  the  guanaco  was  a 
perfect  god-send  —  soups,  steaks,  haunch,  hashed, 
boiled  and  roast ;  in  fact,  in  every  conceivable  form 
we  consumed  our  friend,  and  the  dogs  came  in  for  a 
share  of  meat  and  scraps  which  I  have  no  doubt  they 
considered  a  very  favourable  addition  to  their  usual 
diet  of  ship's  biscuits  and  chicken-bones. 

A  severe  gale  of  wind  delayed  us  a  day  longer  at 
Laredo  than  we  first  intended,  which  quieted  down 
towards  evening.  A  short  passage  of  a  few  hours 
enabled  us  to  reach  the  Chilian  Colony  of  Punta 
Arenas,  named  after  a  sandy  point  near  which  it  is 
built,  and  by  which  name  it  also  is  not  unfrequently 
known.  A  Chilian  man-of-war,  the  Chacabuca, 
commanded  by  Captain  Enrique  Simpson,  was  lying* 
at  anchor,  being  on  her  way  to  place  some  pyramids 
for  observation  purposes  on  Cape  Dungeness ;  and 
her  captain  kindly  constituting  himself  master  of  the 
ceremonies,  rendered  our  stay  at  the  Settlement, 
through  his  exceeding  kindness  and  hospitality, 
unusually  jolly  and  pleasant. 


PUNTA  ARENAS.  63 


Punta  Arenas  is  a  penal  settlement,  but  has  various 
colonists  of  different  nationalities,  all  of  whom  are 
given  grants  of  land  hy  the  Government  on  declaring 
their  intention  of  fencing  them  in  and  undertaking 
their  cultivation.  This  land  becomes  bond  fide  their 
own  property  on  these  conditions  being  complied 
with.  The  inhabitants,  all  told,  muster  about  fifteen 
hundred,  and  live  in  small  wooden  houses  with 
shingle  roofs.  The  town  is  laid  out  on  the  principle 
of  all  Spanish-American  ones,  and  has  places  marked 
out  for  future  greatness,  in  squares  and  plazas,  but 
which  at  present  look  somewhat  straggling  and 
unfinished.  The  military  element  consists  of  a 
small  guard  of  soldiers  ;  and  as  none  of  the  convicts 
are  very  desperate  characters,  and  are  allowed  almost 
perfect  liberty  under  certain  restrictions,  and  the 
natives  who  approach  the  settlement  for  purposes  of 
barter  are  well  disposed  and  friendly,  their  duties 
can  hardly  be  termed  onerous. 

The  settlement  is  ruled  by  a  governor,  his 
Excellency  at  present  being  Senor  DonD.,  a  shrewrd, 
intelligent  Chilian,  who,  though  quite  recently 
appointed,  will,  I  feel  certain,  soon  develop  many 
resources  at  present  lying  dormant,  having  far  less 
of  the  fatal  manana  in  his  disposition  than  the 
generality  of  his  countrymen.  He  was  exceedingly 
good-natured,  placed  his  house  at  our  disposal,  and 
kindly  gave  us  the  run  of  his  stud. 

Situated  in  the  centre  of  the  Straits  of  Magellan, 
and  possessing  a  coal  mine  of  considerable  dimen 
sions  (though  badly  worked,  and  at  present  producing 
an  inferior  quality  of  coal)  Punta  Arenas  may  at  any 


64  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

time  make  a  sudden  jump  into  prosperity.  No  shafts 
of  any  depth  have  as  yet  been  sunk,  and  there  is 
every  reason  to  suppose  that  a  stratum  of  superior 
quality  exists,  should  they  but  take  the  trouble  of 
working  down  on  it. 

Gold  has  been  found  in  paying  quantities  in 
nearly  all  the  small  streams  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  town,  and  the  Governor  showed  me  a 
small  portion,  of  great  purity,  which  in  a  short  time 
he  had  collected  out  of  one  of  them  himself.  That 
other  metals  exist  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt,  and 
should  coal,  which  is  of  course  the  first  qualification 
towards  success,  only  be  properly  worked,  and  prove 
of  a  superior  quality  to  that  already  produced,  all 
the  other  advantages  to  the  colony  will  necessarily 
follow ;  and  situated  on  the  high  seas  between 
Europe  and  the  west  coast  of  South  America,  a  pro 
spector  could  hardly  pitch  upon  a  more  favourable 
spot  for  an  outlay  of  capital.  With  the  Tehuelches 
the  colonists  do  a  very  considerable  trade,  the  former 
easily  recognising  the  benefits  of  having  a  ready  sale 
for  their  guanaco  skins  and  ostrich  feathers ;  and 
being  quite  alive  to  the  advantages  of  breech-loaders 
and  gunpowder,  over  the  bolas  and  spear,  are  peaceable 
and  well  conducted.  Both  parties  are  amicable  in 
their  relations  and  willing  to  conciliate,  so  that  each 
may  obtain  the  benefit  of  trade,  and  a  considerable 
amount  of  cordiality  exists  between  them.  Guanaco 
robes  are  made  out  of  the  skins  of  the  young  guanaco 
when  they  are  only  a  few  days  old,  the  full-grown 
animal's  hide  being  in  every  respect  as  tough  and 
coarse  as  a  bullock's. 


PATAGONIAN  LADIES.  65 

A  large  tribe  had  left  the  day  previous  to  our 
arrival,  but  a  few  remained  either  to  complete  their 
purchases  or  to  finish  a  quantity  of  skin  robes,  at 
which  we  found  some  of  their  women  employed  when 
we  visited  them. 

They  were  slightly  above  the  average  height  of 
European  females,  but  much  broader  across  the 
shoulder  and  back,  though  without  the  slightest 
appearance  of  being  fat.  Their  limbs  were  beauti 
fully  formed  on  massive  proportions,  their  flesh  hard 
and  firm;  but  their  features  were  quite  as  ugly  as  the 
Southern  Chinese,  to  whose  low-bridged  noses,  and 
ugly  long  eyes,  their  own  had  a  remarkable  simi 
larity.  Their  hair  was  black  and  coarse,  confined 
round  the  forehead  by  a  fillet,  which  gave  the  skull  a 
peculiar  conical  appearance;  their  teeth  were  beauti 
fully  white  and  regular;  their  skin  a  light  brown;  but 
they  were  all  so  filthily  dirty  that  it  might  have 
been  almost  any  colour  beneath  the  mask  of  grime 
with  which  they  were  covered.  The  children  were, 
if  possible,  more  dirty  than  their  parents,  and  more 
unprepossessing  savages  I  have  seldom  come  across. 
What  their  behaviour  may  be,  away  from  the  temp 
tations  of  civilization  and  strong  drink,  I  cannot 
pretend  to  say;  but  all  the  tribes  who  visit  Punta 
Arenas,  if  they  have  any  morality,  invariably  leave 
it  behind  them. 

Having  arranged  a  shooting-party,  for  which  the 
Governor  provided  horses  and  a  guide,  H.,  myself, 
the  Chilian  captain,  and  Dr.  P.,  a  young  Cornish- 
man  in  the  Chilian  service,  started  for  the  day ;  but 
though  we  rode  as  far  as  the  Rio  Negro,  with  the 


66  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

exception  of  a  few  wild  duck  and  some  banduria,  we 
killed  nothing. 

The  country  being  thickly  wooded  near  the 
settlement,  we  were  obliged  to  keep  for  some  miles 
to  the  sea  coast,  where,  as  little  in  the  shape  of  game 
could  be  expected,  our  Chilian  friends,  who  had 
lately  seen  some  Indian  hunting  at  Rio  Santa  Cruz, 
amused  themselves  in  describing  and  illustrating  the 
mysteries  of  the  Tehuelches'  circle  formed  for  driving 
guanaco  and  ostrich.  When  completed  and  suf 
ficiently  narrow,  the  magic  word  chus  is  given, 
upon  which,  with  loud  yells,  the  warriors  armed  with 
the  "  bolas  "  rush  upon  their  encircled  prey.  Our 
horses  appeared  perfectly  acquainted  with  this 
familiar  sound,  as  at  each  "  chus  "  given  they  started 
off  at  full  speed,  which  was  anything  but  pleasant 
over  the  log-encumbered  ground,  as  we  were  seated 
in  high  wooden  saddles,  with  stirrups  formed  out  of 
great  balks  of  timber,  each  of  them  at  least  seven 
pounds  in  weight,  and  much  larger  than  a  quartern 
loaf.  On  emerging  from  the  forest,  we  got  to  some 
pampas  land,  which  was  covered  in  many  places 
with  a  very  pretty  evergreen,  having  a  leaf  some 
thing  like  a  rhododendron,  but  bearing  a  bright  red 
pendulous  flower  growing  in  clusters.  Nothing 
could  be  more  ornamental  or  more  adapted  for  park 
growth  at  home ;  and  as  the  weather  here  is  in 
finitely  severer  than  any  experienced  in  England, 
there  would  be  little  fear  of  its  not  thriving  in 
many  exposed  situations  at  home,  where  the  more 
delicate  rhododendron  fails  to  flourish. 

In    conversing   about   Patagonia   and   Terra   del 


TERRA  DEL  FUEGANS.  67 

Fuego  with  Captain  S.,  who  having  been  lately  on  a 
government  survey  of  both  coasts  was  naturally  well 
acquainted  with  the  subject,  he  gave  me  a  good  deal 
of  information  about  them. 

The  Chilians  claim  both  lands,  and  point  to  the 
ancient  maps  drawn  up  by  their  early  Spanish 
ancestors  in  proof  of  the  country  having  been 
formally  annexed  by  Spain  many  years  ago.  For 
similar  reasons  Buenos  Ayres  claims  Patagonia,  and 
both  nations  pay  rations  of  cattle  to  native  chiefs, 
whom  they  endow  with  honorary  rank  in  their 
respective  armies. 

A  Frenchman  who  commenced  his  career  with 
Jules  Grerrard,  "  The  lion  slayer,"  had  lately  been 
prospecting  in  Fuego  and  its  neighbouring  isles  ;  and 
getting  some  people  to  join  him,  had  appareled  them 
in  fantastic  attire,  and  gone,  after  the  bombastic 
manner  of  his  countrymen,  to  conquer  or  to  die ; 
having  obtained,  by  some  means  or  another,  immense 
grants  of  land  from  the  Chilian  Government. 

The  inducements  he  offered  to  his  followers  were 
of  the  most  high-flown  description,  but  the  expedition 
proved  a,  fiasco,  and,  neither  dying  nor  conquering, 
returned  to  Punta  Arenas,  where  I  saw  a  couple  of 
his  men  loafing  about  the  settlement,  their  chief 
having  returned  to  Europe  with  fresh  schemes  for 
further  development. 

The  Fuegans  are  mostly  cannibals,  and  looking 
upon  Europeans  not  only  in  the  light  of  enemies,  but 
also  as  game,  have  a  double  object  in  their  destruc 
tion :  firstly,  in  self-preservation,  and  secondly  as 
food.  They  are  a  miserable  race,  and  inhabit  a 

F    u 


63  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

country  which,  if  judged  by  the  outline  I  saw  of  it, 
has  but  little  to  tempt  the  most  greedy  of  promoters 
for  annexation. 

Captain  S.  gave  me  an  arrow  taken  by  one  of  the 
Frenchmen  before  alluded  to.  He  had  been  attacked 
by  five  natives,  and  had  (so  he  said)  killed  them  all, 
but  had  been  wounded  by  five  arrows  which  had 
been  discharged  simultaneously  by  his  foes.  The 
arrow  I  had  was  beautifully  finished,  the  barb  being 
made  of  a  piece  of  glass,  evidently  a  bit  of  broken 
bottle  picked  up  along  the  shore,  and  fitted  so  as 
to  come  out  of  the  wood  and  remain  in  the  wound 
on  the  arrow  being  withdrawn.  The  other  arrows 
taken  at  the  same  time  were  almost  all  flint-headed,* 
and  from  the  extra  care  taken  in  the  finish  of  the 
glass  one,  it  was  evidently  looked  upon  as  a  great 
advance  in  the  warlike  art. 

The  settlers  at  Punta  Arenas  seemed  industrious 
and  contented,  but  even  their  little  community  had 
gone  through  certain  state  convulsions,  and  about 
twenty  years  ago  had  a  revolution,  in  which  they 
killed  their  governor  and  the  chaplain,  and,  placing 
their  dead  bodies  on  a  fire,  danced  hand-in-hand 
round  the  flames. 

Having  had  many  chuses,  seen  the  lasso  used  by 
our  guide,  and  experienced  thoroughly  the  discom 
forts  of  a  native  saddle  and  wooden  stirrups, 
Captain  S.  insisted  on  our  finishing  the  day  with  what 
he  termed  the  appropriate  "  wind  up  "  of  an  entirely 
Chilian  dinner,  which  he  provided  for  us  at  Si  nor 
Ballester's,  the  most  original  of  Bonifaces.  Cazuela 
was  our  "piece  de  resistance."  It  is  the  national  dish 


CAZUELA.  69 


of  Chili,  and  a,  more  excellent  one  I  have  seldom 
tasted  ;  and  though  Senor  Ballester  was  more  than 
slightly  inebriated,  and  showed  his  adherence  to 
liberty,  equality,  fraternity,  and  the  rights  of  man, 
as  became  the  citizen  of  a  free  and  enlightened 

o 

republic  untrammeled  by  social  distinctions,  by 
insisting  on  embracing  us  all  round,  I  must  take 
off  my  hat  and  do  homage  to  his  pre-eminence  as  a 
cook.  Cazuela  is  a  kind  of  "  cock  a  leeky,"  only  far 
superior,  highly  seasoned,  and  eaten  with  its  soup. 
Another  dish  was  a  pie,  with  a  potato  crust,  of 
minced  meat,  chicken,  olives,  raisins,  pepper  and 
spices,  uncommonly  good  also,  and  the  whole  was 
washed  down  by  native  wines,  agreeable  to  the 
taste,  and,  leaving  no  ill  effects  the  next  morning, 
were  I  presume  sound  in  quality  also. 

Early  in  the  morning  on  the  20th  of  January  we  left 
Punta  Arenas,  and,  by  the  time  I  found  my  way  on 
deck,  discovered  that  a  complete  change  of  scenery 
had  taken  place.  It  seemed  as  if  the  ship  was  on  a 
lake,  so  surrounded  were  we  on  all  sides  by  land. 
The  shores  were  thickly  wooded  and  mountainous, 
varying  in  height,  from  Mount  Tarn,  2 GO 2  feet,  to 
Mount  Sarmiento,  covered  entirely  with  snow,  6800 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  lying  some  distance 
off  in  Terra  del  Fuego.  The  view  was  exquisite. 
The  mountains,  rugged  and  precipitous,  took  every 
conceivable  form,  and  varied  in  aspect  as  each 
yard  we  steamed  past  them  disclosed  fresh  beauties. 
They  were  covered  with  a  variegated  foliage  which 
somewhat  reminded  me  of  the  autumnal  tints  at 
Killarncy;  the  trunks  of  the  trees  showing,  in  a 


70  TEE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

white-thread-like  and  peculiar  manner,  where  the 
biting  winds  had  at  some  period  checked  the  tinder- 
growth  and  apparently  nipped  the  lower  branches. 
The  summits  were  occasionally  fringed  with  the 
brightest  of  very  bright  green  verdure ;  and  in  the 
crevices,  and  on  some  of  the  highest  peaks,  the  snow 
8tiil  remained  unthawed,  though  the  time  of  the  year 
was  midsummer.  Nearly  opposite  Cape  Froward,  a 
bold  promontory  of*  1200  feet,  we  saw  an  extensive 
glacier.  Towards  evening  the  wind  freshening  up 
prevented  our  proceeding;  and  as  a  succession  of 
williwaws  came  on  we  anchored  in  San  Nicolas  Bay 
at  the  mouth  of  the  De  Gennes  River. 

San  Nicolas  is  a  picturesque  and  well-protected 
harbour,  surrounded  by  high  mountains  whose 
rugged  peaks  were  covered  with  snow.  A  dense 
and  impenetrable  forest  ran  close  to  the  water's  edge. 
A  small  islet  lay  in  the  centre  of  the  bay,  exactly 
opposite  the  river,  and,  nailed  upon  a  tree  growing 
in  the  middle,  we  saw  several  boards  recording  the 
times  it  had  been  visited  by  various  vessels.  We 
got  a  quantity  of  drift  wood  similar  to  that  picked 
up  at  Laredo,  and  our  seining  party  were  particularly 
fortunate,  bringing  over  two  hundred  salmon  bass  on 
board  with  them.  We  tried  to  pull  up  the  river,  but 
found  it  so  full  of  old  trees  and  snags  that  it  could 
not  be  managed,  and  as  it  was  impossible  to  penetrate 
through  the  entangled  mass  of  undergrowth  and 
moss  skirting  the  forest,  but  little  could  be  done 
with  the  guns.  We  got  a  few  shots  at  duck  on  the 
river,  the  only  birds  worth  mentioning  that  we  came 
across,  though  we  saw  some  green  parrots  ako,  which, 


WILLIWAWS.  71 


for  want  of  better,  make  a  tolerable  pie.  We  met 
quite  fresh  footmarks  of  Indians,  but  were  unable  to 
discover  their  wigwams. 

Our  next  halt  was  under  the  lee  of  Cape  Holland, 
in  Woods  Bay ;  rain  and  williwaws  driving  us  there 
for  shelter.  "  Williwaw  "is  the  Magellan  name  for 
the  sudden  bursts  of  wind  which  come  rushing  down 
between  the  mountains.  They  vary  much  in  degree 
of  strength,  but  are  at  times  so  powerful  that  a  ship 
is  utterly  unable  to  resist  them,  and  for  sailing 
vessels  they  are  dangerous  in  the  extreme.  For 
tunately  the  Straits  abound  in  excellent  and  well- 
protected  harbours,  where  safe  anchorage  and  shelter 
can  generally  be  obtained,  and  as  those  storms  are 
seldom  of  long  duration,  common  caution  enables  the 
mariner  to  avoid  any  very  seri  us  damage,  by  taking 
refuge  in  time. 

Inside  a  belt  of  trees  encircling  the  harbour,  lay 
about  two  miles  of  as  likely  looking  snipe  ground 
as  I  ever  walked  over ;  but  though  we  worked  it 
carefully,  not  a  bird  was  to  be  seen.  In  some  thick 
swampy  undergrowth  I  put  up  a  brace  of  woodcock. 
They  were  smaller  than  our  English  birds  and  much 
lighter  in  colour,  but  had  the  same  kind  of  flight,  and 
required  very  close  beating  to  induce  them  to  rise. 

The  depth  of  moss  arid  luxuriousness  of  its  growth 
exceeded  anything  I  had  ever  seen.  All  the  small 
shrubs  were  choked  by  it ;  fallen  trees,  so  thickly 
covered  that  they  lay  completely  screened,  and  often 
we  went  over  our  knees  through  the  soft  velvety 
covering. 

Lichens   were   equally   abundant,   many   of  them 


72  THE  TWO  AMEKICAS. 

throwing  out  large  leaves  like  brocoli.  Quantities 
of  parasites,  more  or  less  resembling  mistletoe,  hung 
from  the  various  trees ;  and  a  profusion  of  edible 
berries  of  several  varieties  grew  everywhere.  Most 
of  the  shrubs  were  in  flower,  and  several  of  them  had 
delicious  perfume,  while  the  common  fuchsia  grew 
quite  luxuriantly,  and  attained  a  size  seldom  met 
with  in  Europe.  We  left  early  next  morning.  The 
day  was  wet  and  misty,  but  what  little  could  be  seen 
of  the  coast  was  truly  magnificent.  Opposite  Port 
Gallant,  on  both  sides  of  the  Strait,  it  was  exquisite. 
Lofty  and  precipitous  mountains,  based  with  forests, 
and  capped  with  snow — black-looking  valleys  and 
ravines — huge  boulders  of  rock  and  precipices  — 
glaciers — long,  partly  wooded  islands,  topped  with 
plains  of  grass — rocky  islets  of  different  sizes,  bare 
or  wooded,  jutting  out  of  the  sea — and  the  whole 
marked  by  a  variety  of  different  colourings,  so  rich 
and  varied,  that  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to 
even  imagine  a  scene  more  full  of  beauty. 

Off  Eupert's  Island,  a  ship's  boat,  with  a  crew  of 
Fuegan  women,  came  alongside,  evidently  with  the 
intention  of  bartering  their  sealskin  clothing.  They 
were  considerably  smaller  than  the  Patagonian  ladies 
we  met  at  Punta  Arenas,  of  slighter  make  and 
different  features  ;  but,  being  in  a  hurry  to  get  to  our 
next  anchorage  before  the  tide  turned,  we  could  not 
stop  to  trade,  and,  as  we  took  no  notice  of  their  solici 
tations,  in  a  short  time  they  shoved  off.  How  they 
came  by  a  ship's  boat  it  wovfld  be  hard  to  say  ;  they 
looked  in  good  condition,  and  had  probably  eaten 
the  original  proprietors.  One  woman  had  a  terrible 


LADIES  OF  TERRA  DEL  FUEGO.  73 


mouth ;  as  she  grinned  it  extended  from  ear  to  ear, 
disclosing1  a  set  of  fangs  capable  of  crunching  any 
thing  ;  a  more  unprepossessing  female  I  never  saw. 

During  the  day  shoals  of  whales  were  seen  spout 
ing  all  round,  and  as  from  the  winding  nature  of  the 
passage  we  always  appeared  in  a  lake  of  not  par 
ticularly  extensive  dimensions,  it  seemed  odd  how 
such  big  fish  could  inhabit  such  small  waters. 
Occasionally  we  met  seals  and  otters.  A  large  rock 
near  Whale  Sand  was  so  completely  covered  with 
the  former  animals,  that  it  was  only  when  they  took 
to  the  water  that  we  discovered  what  they  were. 
Some  hundreds  must  have  been  on  it.  The  fish 
Indians  wear  no  covering  but  seal  skins,  sewn 
together  with  threads  of  sinew,  and,  if  we  judge  by 
the  readiness  of  their  owners  to  part  with  them  for 
any  rubbish  offered  in  exchange,  they  must  be  easily 
enough  procured ;  as  a  matter  of  choice,  they  will 
most  likely  prefer  tobacco. 


74  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Borja  Bay — Coast  scenery — Wild  geese — Puerto  Churruca — Terrible 
aspect  of  the  country — The  otter  islands — Enormous  bee— Mount 
Burney — First  view  of  the  Cordilleras — Trip  for  a  yachtsman  with 
a  predilection  for  sport — Mayne  Harbour — Puerto  Buena — Alarm  of 
Martin  at  strange  sounds — Quarts  versus  Quartz— Guia  Narrows — 
Chasm  Eeach — Quantities  of  seals — Grey  H  trbour — A  tough  old 
warrior  —  A  tempting  river  —  I  air  my  ro  Is — Halt  Bay — Island 
Harbour — Fly-fishing  in  Patagonia  a  pitfall,  a  snare,  and  a  delusion 
— Sombrero  Island — We  get  on  shore — Gulf  of  Penas — Utter  ineffi 
ciency  of  the  Rocket  and  Boxer  class  of  gun-boat — Eemarkable  kelp 
in  Straits  of  Magellan — Massacre  of  the  innocents. 

ON  the  23rd  of  January  we  arrived  at  Borja  Bay, 
the  Island  Bay  of  Byron.  It  is  situated  on  the 
northern  shore  of  Crooked  Beach,  two  miles  to  the 
eastward  of  Cape  Quod.  At  the  entrance  are  some 
small  islands — the  Ortiz  Islets,  or  Big  and  Little 
Borja — on  the  larger  of  which  we  found  a  wooden 
cross,  but  without  any  inscription  to  say  what  it 
meant.  The  shores  are  wooded  with  many  different 
descriptions  of  trees,  red  and  white  cedar  pre 
dominating  ;  and  a  variety  of  shrubs,  most  of  them 
covered  with  sweet-scented  flowers,  grow  in  wild 
profusion.  A  bright  and  sparkling  stream  runs 
into  the  bay  near  its  centre,  and  a  few  hundred  yards 
from  its  mouth,  but  concealed  from  the  anchorage 
by  a  wooded  hill,  lies  a  small  lake  most  exquisitely 


COAST  SCENERY.  75 

situated.  The  mountains  on  its  distant  side  rise 
almost  precipitously  out  of  the  water  and  are  thickly 
covered  with  trees  for  about  half-way  up ;  at  the 
head,  a  deep  gorge  led  over  the  mountains  to 
wards  the  interior.  The  day  was  bright  and  sunny, 
and  the  reflection  of  the  snow- clad  mountains  on 
the  smooth  mirror-like  surface  of  the  little  tree- 
embowered  lough,  the  perfume  of  the  flowers,  and 
the  caroling  of  the  birds,  exulting  in  such  unusual 
warmth  and  sunshine,  combined  to  make  a  picture 
quite  fairylike  and  charming. 

In  the  afternoon  we  rowed  along  the  coast,  finding 
plenty  to  admire  in  the  wonderful  shades  of  moss 
and  lichen  which  covered  the  rocks  to  the  tide-mark. 
Every  creek  and  corner  formed  a  morsel  varied  and 
distinct,  and  some  of  these  little  pieces  of  colouring 
quite  beggar  description.  The  vegetation  was  of 
rank  luxuriousness,  but  far  more  beautiful  than  any 
thing  tropical,  which,  though  luxurious,  undoubtedly 
wants  that  exquisite  variety  of  colouring  and  depth 
of  tone  so  perfect  in  Magellan. 

The  trees  in  places  grew  overhanging  the  water, 
which  was  deep  enough  close  to  the  rocks,  to  have 
floated  an  "  ironclad/'  and  occasionally  from  some 
little  precipice  would  project  the  gnarled  remains  of 
some  old  cedar  of  gigantic  proportions,  covered  with 
mosses  and  mistletoe,  and  growing  through  them  a 
profusion  of  long,  pendulous,  bright  magenta-coloured 
blossoms,  not  unlike  the  foxglove  in  shape,  flowers 
of  the  prevailing  creeper. 

I  shot  a  couple  of  very  handsome  geese,  one  a  pure 
white,  and  the  other  white  body,  black  wings,  and 


76  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

grouse  -  coloured  breast.  We  killed  some  wood 
peckers  and  several  kinds  of  water-fowl,  all  of  them 
afterwards  eaten  by  the  boat's  crew  and  pronounced 
excellent,  though  I  fancy  a  somewhat  monotonous 
diet  on  ship's  provisions  must  have  assisted  materially 
in  disguising  a  fishy  taste.  Mussels  were  in  abun 
dance,  but  so  full  of  small  pearls  as  to  be  almost 
uneatable. 

We  made  an  early  start  from  Borja  Bay,  leaving 
at  daylight,  i.e.,  about  3  A.M.  ;  our  next  anchorage 
being  some  distance  off.  The  scenery  grew  wilder, 
and  vegetation  scarcer  as  we  advanced,  the  moun 
tains  being  only  wooded  at  their  bases,  and  all  more 
or  less  covered  with  snow.  We  passed  a  magnifi 
cent  glacier,  running  apparently  into  the  sea ;  but 
the  weather  was  too  cloudy  to  discern  very  distinctly, 
and  the  mist  occasionally  enclosing  the  mountains 
prevented  our  obtaining  a  satisfactory  view. 

It  was  almost  dark  when  we  arrived  at  Puerto 
Churruca,  our  anchorage  for  the  night.  The  entrance 
was  exceedingly  narrow,  and  we  had  almost  to  feel 
our  way  in  with  the  lead,  a  matter  of  no  small  diffi 
culty  owing  to  the  extreme  depth  of  water  so  close  to 
shore.  Puerto  Churruca  is  without  exception  the 
most  weird  spot  I  ever  saw  ;  and  Desolation  Island, 
which  it  is  on,  well  deserves  the  name.  We  left 
"Nassau"  anchorage  at  eleven  next  morning.  The 
clay  was  clear  arid  bright ;  the  scenery  can  only  be 
described  as  being  terrible  ;  and  as  we  steamed  slowly 
through  the  narrow  entrance,  we  had  ample  oppor 
tunity  for  looking  about  us.  Such  a  combination  of 
the  horrid  and  the  beautiful  I  feel  utterly  powerless 


TERRIBLE  ASPECT  OF  THE   COUNTRY.         il 

to  portray,  and  no  one  but  a  Dore  could  possibly 
imagine,  or  a  Bierstadt  paint. 

Precipitous  mountains,  towering  one  above  the 
other  in  indescribable  confusion ;  the  coast  line, 
slightly  wooded  but  steep  and  rocky ;  brilliant  round 
its  edges  with  the  deep  colourings  of  rnoss,  lichen, 
and  flowering  shrubs  so  noticeable  through  Magellan 
where  the  coast  touches  the  water,  but  they  soon 
become  lost  in  a  mass  of  huge  boulders,  entirely  bare, 
which  continue  for  some  thousand  feet  above  the  sea, 
until  they  reach  the  snow,  which  in  its  turn  becomes 
buried  in  the  clouds. 

Deep  and  gloomy  gorges,  frightful  precipices, 
black  and  unfathomable  water,  inlets  and  fiords, 
scooped  as  if  with  mighty  power  by  a  Yril-ya  race 
out  of  the  solid  rock ;  glaciers,  cataracts,  and  a  scat 
tering  of  wild  fowl ;  group  all  these  during  some 
nightmare  in  their  wildest  and  most  terrible  combi 
nation,  and  you  may  form  a  slight  idea  of  Puerto 
Churruca.  "Eight  in  the  jaws  of  hell  rode  the 
six  hundred;"  and  a  very  slight  attack  of  "the 
blues"  might  have  led  its  possessor  to  imagine 
we  were  steaming  out  of  the  entrance  to  the  same 
locality. 

Sighting  Cape  Pillar,  the  south  point  of  the 
western  entrance  to  Magellan,  and  passing  West 
minster  Hall  and  Los  Evangelistos,  four  singular- 
looking  rocky  islets,  rugged  and  barren,  we  bid  adieu 
to  the  strait  and  entered  Smyth's  Channel,  which 
separates  a  succession  of  islands  of  considerable 
magnitude — Wellington  Island,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  miles  long,  being  the  largest— from  the 


78  THE  TWO  AMEBICAS. 

western  coast  of  Patagonia,  ending  at  the  entrance 
to  the  Gulf  of  Penas. 

The  general  features  of  the  coast  consist  of  in 
numerable  peaks,  bold  headlands,  and  rock-covered 
mountains  capped  with  snow  when  anything  over  a 
thousand  feet  high  ;  all  remarkably  like  in  character, 
and  desolate  in  the  extreme.  In  the  evening  we 
anchored  at  a  snug  little  billet  among  the  Otter 
Islands,  opposite  Mount  Barney,  a  lofty  mountain, 
5800  feet  above  the  sea. 

These  islands— evidently  well  named,  the  ground 
being  covered  with  the  runs  of  the  animal  they  are 
christened  after— are  a  pretty  little  group,  situated  in 
the  centre  of  Smyth's  Channel.  They  afford  an 
excellent  harbour,  the  anchorage  being  well  pro 
tected,  and  the  holding-ground  in  six  and  seven 
fathoms  of  water,  clean  and  good.  They  were  full 
of  sweet-scented  flowering  shrubs,  the  fuchsia  attain 
ing  quite  a  tree-like  size.  Our  wooding-party  got 
some  excellent  fuel,  chiefly  cedar,  and  the  seiners 
had  a  fair  haul  of  fish.  We  killed  some  wild  fowl, 
and  saw  besides  a  variety  of  singing  birds,  and 
several  diminutive  specimens  of  humming  bird,  some 
of  them  quite  as  small  as  many  of  the  same  species  I 
had  met  in  the  West  Indies.  I  also  saw — and  an 
extremely  unpleasant  object  I  considered  it  as  it 
buzzed  viciously  in  close  proximity  to  my  nose — an 
enormous  bee,  quite  as  large  as  a  wren,  and  con 
siderably  bigger  than  most  of  the  humming  birds. 
I  had  not  the  slightest  curiosity  to  examine  it  closer, 
and  felt  considerably  relieved  when  it  took  itself  off. 

On  the  27th  of  January,  we  left  the  Otter  Islands 


MOUNT  BUENE7.  79 


at  daybreak,  passing  close  to  Yereker  and  Foley 
islands.  The  weather  was  quite  altered,  and,  instead 
of  the  usual  misty  covering  to  the  mountains,  half 
obscuring  their  altitude,  the  atmosphere  was  dry 
and  clear,  and  the  view  as  we  steamed  along  per 
fectly  magnificent. 

Mount  Burney,  covered  with  snow,  was  visible  to 
its  very  summit — a  somewhat  unusual  phenomenon 
in  this  cloudy  locality;  and  as  we  progressed 
further,  we  saw  for  the  first  time  the  magnificent 
Cordilleras,  standing  in  bold  relief  against  the 
bright  blue  sky,  some  distance  in  the  interior. 

Pinnacle  upon  pinnacle,  of  the  purest  white, 
towered  like  clouds  above  the  dark  outline  of  the 
nearer  mountains.  The  sea  was  smooth  and  land 
locked  ;  the  numerous  bays  well  wooded  and  bright 
with  the  exquisite  varieties  of  colouring,  for  which 
the  seaboard  of  southern  Patagonia  is  so  remarkable. 
Streamer-duck,  a  species  peculiar  to  these  latitudes 
(Microptereus  cinereus),  and  wild  fowl,  plumed  their 
leathers,  rejoicing  in  the  unusual  heat  and  sun 
shine  ;  and  enormous  seagulls  poised  themselves, 
motionless,  as  they  watched  their  prey.  The  sides 
of  the  mountains  near  us  were  rugged  and  torn, 
streaked  with  silvery  cascades  foaming  and  dashing 
over  boulder  and  through  glen ;  all  these,  with  the 
snow-clad  Cordilleras  as  a  back-ground,  formed  a 
picture  once  seen  not  easily  forgotten. 

Columbine  Cove  was  our  next  halt.  We  wooded, 
caught  fish,  and  then  went  to  Mayne  Harbour  on 
Owen  Island,  a  most  picturesque  and  lovely  anchor 
age.  The  day  was  dreadfully  wet,  and  we  had 


80  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  on  the  good  fortune 
which  enabled  us  to  see  the  Cordillera,  as  had  we 
passed  it  in  weather  like  we  experienced  afterwards, 
one  of  the  most  magnificent  views  it  is  almost  possible 
to  conceive  would  have  been  lost.  I  cannot  help 
feeling  that  in  this  very  feeble  description  of  the 
country  we  passed  through  there  is  a  certain  amount 
of  sameness  of  expression,  and  that  each  place  I 
attempt  to  describe  has  the  never-failing  character 
istic  of  being  lovely  or  beautiful.  It  would  almost 
be  a  relief  to  have  to  write  of  something  flat  and 
uninteresting,  but  it  cannot  be  helped.  The  entire 
scenery  is  so  perfectly  lovely  everywhere.  Each 
harbour  visited,  though  possessing  the  same  charac 
teristics,  differed  so  entirely  in  the  grouping,  that 
though  descriptions  of  re-occurring  scenes  may  pall 
on  the  reader,  I  can  assure  him  that  witnessing  them 
would  never  satiate. 

To  any  one  with  a  predilection  for  yachting,  a  love 
of  nature  in  its  most  charming  garb,  and  a  fondness 
for  sport,  I  could  not  recommend  any  part  of  the 
world  where  the  three  combined  can  be  had  to  such 
an  extent  as  during  a  cruise  between  Monte  Video 
arid  the  western  entrance  to  Magellan.  From  Cape 
Corrientes  to  Punta  Arenas,  a  distance  of  over  a 
thousand  miles,  there  is  not  a  single  harbour  in 
whcse  immediate  vicinity  a  sportsman,  using  his 
yacht  as  a  base  for  operations,  might  not  obtain 
shooting  to  almost  any  extent. 

From  the  Rio  Negro  to  Cape  Virgins  the  country 
absolutely  swarms  with  guanaco  and  ostrich ;  while 
to  a  naturalist  a  land  so  little  known,  yet  possessing 


HAYNE  HARBOUR.  81 


such  mines  of  hidden  wealth,  would  be  a  positive 
Utopia.  The  climate  is  more  than  merely  healthy ; 
it  is  re-invigorating  and  salubrious.  The  natives 
are  seldom  seen,  but  when  met  with  are  friendly 
and  predisposed  towards  Englishmen ;  and  I  only 
regret  that  circumstances  prevent  my  again  taking 
a  cruise  I  can  so  strongly  recommend  to  others. 

After  leaving  Laredo  Bay,  the  shooting  becomes 
indifferent,  but  the  scenery. grander ;  still,  taking  the 
limits  I  have  defined,  no  other  part  of  the  world 
affords  such  a  combination  to  a  yachtsman. 

Mayne  Harbour,  which  has  an  outer  and  an  inner 
anchorage,  is  about  a  mile  long,  narrow  in  parts,  and 
has  several  small  islands  scattered  about  it,  on  which 
were  nailed  the  names  of  various  vessels  who  had 
visited  it  for  the  same  purpose  as  ourselves,  i.e.,  shelter 
for  a  night  and  fuel ;  indeed,  at  every  place  we 
touched,  the  wooding  party  provided  sufficient  to 
take  us  to  our  next  anchorage  with  scarcely  any 
consumption  of  coal.  Among  its  recent  visitors, 
H.M.S.  Albatross's  card  was  conspicuous,  a  large 
board  nailed  to  a  tree  on  one  of  the  rocky  islets 
announcing  that  she  had  been  there  about  a  fort 
night  previous  to  our  arrival. 

From  a  smnll  lough,  "  Lake  William,"  a  stream 
runs  into  the  head  of  the  bay,  forming  a  picturesque 
cascade  at  its  entrance.  The  rock  scenery  on  the 
small  islets  and  shores  was  perfect.  Growing  close 
to  the  water  were  many  varieties  of  shrubs  in  blossom, 
or  with  bright  red  and  purple  berries.  Twisted  and 
crooked  cedars,  covered  with  moss  and  pretty  bell- 
shaped  flowers,  overhung  the  banks.  Massive  boul- 

G 


82  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

ders,  with  every  conceivable  shade  of  mossy  green, 
from  the  lightest  pale  to  the  darkest  olive,  inter 
mingled  with  various  lichens  and  ferns,  lined  the 
coast ;  and  to  an  amateur  in  artificial  rockeries,  such  a 
lesson  from  nature  would  have  been  invaluable.  Each 
creek  was  in  itself  a  study,  eack  nook  a  perfect  gem. 

It  rained  in  torrents  while  we  remained  here,  and 
judging  from  the  luxuriousness  of  moss,  which  over 
the  fallen  logs  of  timber  nearly  reached  a  man's 
shoulders,  I  should  fancy  that  incessant  rain  was  its 
abnormal  state. 

The  mountains  after  we  left  Mayne  Harbour  be 
came  barren  and  rocky,  streaked  with  deep  fissures, 
but  holding  less  snow.  Some  of  the  headlands  were 
very  grand,  and  one  precipice  in  particular,  rising 
like  a  wall  for  over  a  thousand  feet,  was  extremely 
fine.  The  wind  was  against  us  all  day,  and  though 
the  distance  we  had  to  travel  was  only  twenty  miles, 
it  was  evening  before  we  anchored  in  Puerto  Buena, 
an  excellent  and  well-sheltered  harbour  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  channel ;  beautiful,  of  course,  like  every 
other  anchorage  we  had  visited. 

Above  the  inner  harbour  a  large  fresh-water  lake 
empties  itself  by  a  cascade  into  a  little  bight  at  its 
head.  On  ascending  the  mountains,  I  found  that  this 
lake  was  but  the  last  of  a  series  of  four  others,  which, 
connected  by  a  small  stream  running  over  a  succession 
of  falls  between  each  of  them,  stretches  a  considerable 
distance  into  the  interior  of  the  country,  hidden  in  a 
valley  between  the  lofty  mountains  which  spread 
away  for  miles  from  the  seaboard. 

Next  morning,  though  the  weather  was  anything 


ALARM  OF  MARTIN  AT  STRANGE  SOUNDS.    83 

but  promising,  H.,  his  factotum  Martin,  and  myself, 
landed  at  the  cascade.  We  worked  the  dogs  over 
some  good-looking  ground  round  the  border  of  the 
lake — (H.  had  a  great,  ugly,  useless,  long-legged  brute, 
called  "  Joe,"  that  he  set  great  store  by,  and  always 
took  with  him), — but  without  success  ;  and  finding 
nothing  on  the  lowlands,  I  determined  on  climbing 
to  the  top  of  the  range  of  hills  to  see  if  any  game 
lay  higher  up. 

The  day  was  showery,  and,  disgusted  with  our  bad 
luck,  H.  returned  to  the  ship,  sending  Martin  on  to 
join  me.  The  sides  were  steep  and  bare,  and  in 
places  our  only  means  of  ascent  lay  in  the  water 
courses,  where  the  tangled  scrub  and  small  trees 
enabled  us  to  crawl  from  plateau  to  plateau ;  though 
on  gaining  a  couple  of  thousand  feet,  the  walking 
became  easy  enough,  and  we  were  able  to  admire 
the  magnificent  view  as  it  opened  out  more  fully  to 
our  gaze. 

Loughs,  woods,  snowy  cascades,  and  rivers  lay 
in  a  vast  panorama  at  our  feet.  Miles  and  miles 
of  unoccupied  land,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
stretched  away  into  misty  indistinctness ;  not  one 
human  creature  inhabited  its  vast  space,  and  a  couple 
of  eagles,  soaring  high,  even  above  the  snowy  ranges 
still  above  us,  alone  seemed  monarchs  of  a  land  so 
uninhabited  by  man. 

Our  solitude  was  occasionally  interrupted  by  strange 
sounds,  which  added  to  the  weird  aspect  of  all  around ; 
possibly  wild  cats,  or  wolves.  On  my  asking  Martin 
if  he  heard  them,  I  was  a  good  deal  amused  by  his 
solemnly  replying,  "Aye,  and  I  be  thinking  the 

G  2 


84  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


captain  must  a  "heard  them  tew ;  they  be  wild  beastesses, 
lions  or  bears  most  like,  for  he  went  on  board  uncom 
mon  quick,  when  he  told  me  as  how  I  was  to  go  to 
you."  H.  had  been  chaffing  him  to  such  an  extent 
about  bears,  pumas,  and  Indians,  that  though  in  an 
undeniable  fright  at  the  curious  noises  we  both  heard, 
he  jumped  at  a  chance  of  turning  the  tables  on  his 
master  ;  firstly,  for  thinking  so  lightly  of  his  personal 
courage  ;  and,  secondly,  for  leaving  him  in  a  moment, 
of  what  he  evidently  thought  considerable  peril.  I 
remarked  he  kept  unusually  close  to  "  heel "  for  the 
remainder  of  the  day,  though  he  constantly  assured 
me  he  feared  nothing. 

We  walked  for  three  or  four  hours  after  gaining 
the  first  brow,  over  ranges  of  hills  varying  in  height, 
and  making  for  the  highest  peak,  found  that  the 
same  mountain  formation  continued  as  far  as  we 
could  see.  With  the  exception  of  some  small  birds 
like  grey  plover  we  met  nothing,  and  sport  being 
so  very  indifferent,  I  did  a  little  prospecting  for  gold 
in  the  streams  which  flowed  over  masses  of  quartz 
rock,  explaining  to  Martin  at  the  same  time  that  the 
precious  metal  was  found  in  considerable  quantities 
at  Punta  Arenas,  where  the  river  washed  ground  of 
similar  formation,  and  that  where  he  saw  quartz  he 
might  possibly  see  gold  also. 

Shortly  after,  on  looking  back,  I  found  him 
paddling  about  in  a  large  splash  of  rain-water,  which 
had  accumulated  in  a  slight  hollow  on  the  mountain 
side.  "  Hullo!"  I  shouted,  "what  are  you  doing 
there  ?  It's  getting  too  late  for  dawdling."  "  I  be 
a-looking  for  gold,''  was  the  answer.  "  Why,  you 


QUARTS   VERSUS  QUARTZ.  85 


muff,"  I  replied  ;  "  you  are  seeking  in  a  splash  of  rain 
water,  that  did  not  exist  yesterday  and  may  be  dry 
to-morrow."  "  Well,"  he  sung  out,  with  a  grurit  of 
discontent ;  "  you  said  as  how  I  might  find  it  when  I 
seed  quarts,  and  I  be  certain  shure  there  be  gallons 
here ;  but  I  never  does  nothink  right ; "  and  he 
shambled  on,  much  disgusted  with  my  evident  want 
of  appreciation  for  his  talents  as  a  prospector. 

Leaving  Porto  Buena,  we  passed  through  the  Guia 
Narrows,  named  after  Sarmiento's  boat.  They  lay 
between  Hanover  and  Chatham  islands ;  and  are 
about  six  miles  long,  and  from  one  to  one  and  a  half 
broad,  except  at  the  north  end,  \vhere  it  is  onlv  two 
cables  across.  High  precipices,  of  from,  two  to 
nearly  three  thousand  feet,  were  on  either  side  ;  but 
the  incessant  rain  prevented  our  seeing  as  well  as  we 
should  have  wished,  though  what  we  could  make  out 
was  extremely  grand.  Off  Innocents'  Island  we  saw 
several  large  whales,  and  shortly  afterwards  anchored 
in  Walker's  Bay  for  the  night.  The  weather  was 
too  wet  and  stormy  to  progress  very  far  in  such  an 
infamous  sailer  and  steamer  as  the  Rocket,  which, 
even  in  the  smoothest  water,  was  quite  unable  to 
steam  against  the  slightest  puff  of  wind  ;  so  our  next 
halt  was  only  four  miles  off,  being  at  Molyneux 
Sound,  which  we  left  the  morning  after. 

The  scenery  was  fine  on  the  Wellington  Island 
side  of  the  Channel ;  but  on  entering  Chasm  Reach, 
it  became  simply  exquisite.  The  channel  was  the 
narrowest  we  had  yet  passed  through,  and,  most 
fortunately,  the  sea  was  smooth  and  the  day  bright 
and  clear. 


86  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

The  sides  were  precipitous  masses  of  almost  bare 
granite,  trees  only  growing  at  the  bottom,  and  along 
the  clefts  which  occasionally  cut  into  the  surface. 
Cascades  on  each  coast,  like  streaks  of  silver,  came 
dashing  with  sullen  roar  into  the  sea.  The  spire- 
pointed  summits  of  the  distant  mountains  were 
draped  in  white.  Occasional  glaciers,  sparkling  in 
the  sun,  peeped  from  their  snow-enshrouded  beds. 
Quantities  of  otters  and  seals  sported  about  in  the 
dark,  tranquil,  o'ershadowed  water,  and  a  couple  of 
small  icebergs  were  seen  floating  slowly  past  the  ship. 
To  add  extra  picturesque  effect  to  this  romantic- 
looking  spot,  we  went  to  "  general  quarters ;  "  and 
the  bright  flashes  from  the  guns,  the  reverberation 
after  each  shot  or  shell,  as  echo  upon  echo  came 
ringing  through  the  mountains,  added  considerably 
to  the  charm  of  all  around. 

Our  destination  for  the  night  was  Port  Grappler, 
but,  owing  to  extreme  darkness  by  the  time  we  got 
opposite  it,  we  missed  the  entrance,  and  had  to 
remain  under  steam  until  next  morning,  when  we 
anchored  in  Eden  Harbour — an  anchorage  formed 
by  a  group  of  thickly  wooded  islands  on  the  western 
shore  of  Indian  Reach,  about  five  miles  south  of  the 
English  Narrows.  The  harbour  was  full  of  seals, 
who  played  and  tumbled  about  in  all  directions, 
occasionally  jumping  several  feet  clean  out  of  the 
water  as  they  chased  each  other  in  the  exciting 
game  of  "  follow  my  leader,"  at  which  they  evidently 
were  proficients.  We  tried  hard  to  find  some  game 
or  wild  fowl,  but  one  wretched  snipe  was  the  sole 
reward  of  our  industry.  The  seining  party  were 


A   TOUGH  OLD    WAUEIOK.  87 

fairly  successful.  They  caught  several  fish  beside 
the  inevitable  "  bass,"  and  among  them  a  curious 
little  pig-headed  creature  (Agriopus  Peruvianus), 
which  I  kept  alive  in  a  bason  of  water  for  some 
hours  before  returning  him  to  his  native  element. 

After  passing  through  the  charming  little  archi 
pelago  of  islands  that  form  Eden  Harbour,  we  came 
to  the  English  Narrows,  with  its  lofty,  thickly  wooded 
sides,  and  entered  Messier  Channel,  a  fine  piece  of 
water,  extending  for  a  distance  of  seventy-five  miles, 
from  the  north  end  of  the  English  Narrows  to  Tarn 
Bay  in  the  Gulf  of  Penas  ;  free  from  all  impediments, 
and  containing  safe  and  convenient  anchorages 
throughout  its  length — an  important  consideration  in 
these  latitudes,  where  for  ten  minutes  it  is  impossible 
ever  to  reckon  on  a  continuance  of  fine  weather. 

On  the  6th  of  February  we  anchored  in  Grey 
Harbour,  two  miles  east  of  Halt  Bay,  at  the  head 
of  Liberta  Bay,  and  found  it  a  well -protected 
anchorage  surrounded  by  high,  thickly  wooded  hills. 
At  the  head  of  the  harbour,  a  channel  affords  easy 
boat  passage  at  all  times  of  the  tide  to  a  large  fresh 
water  lough,  about  two  miles  in  length,  into  the 
top  of  which  flows  a  river  of  considerable  size. 

The  lake  was  extremely  beautiful ;  but  though  we 
rowed  nearly  all  round  it  and  hunted  in  various 
directions,  saw  no  wild  fowl  except  a  streamer-goose, 
who,  compassionating  with  us  on  our  want  of  sport, 
kindly  afforded  us  an  hour's  very  fair  shooting. 
The  old  story  of  the  Jack-snipe,  who  lasted  a  man 
two  years,  and  was  eventually  killed  by  a  friend,  to 
whom  in  a  weak  moment  he  offered  a  day's  shooting, 


88  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

and  Punch's  "  Frenchman,"  "  whose  woodcock  re 
mained  to  him  for  the  season,"  rose  vividly  in  my 
mind,  as  shot  after  shot  was  fired  by  H.  and  myself 
at  this  invincible  old  bird,  who  received  our  fusil ade 
with  the  most  extreme  indifference.  After  each  dis 
charge  he  simply  dived,  swam  a  hundred  yards  or  so 
under  water  before  rising  to  the  surface,  and  then,  with 
the  most  insouciant  sang-froid,  flapped  his  wings  in 
seeming  derision  of  our  efforts,  before  quietly  settling 
down  as  if  nothing  unusual  had  happened.  We  fired 
at  least  twenty  shots  at  this  invulnerable  abomina 
tion  whose  only  value  was  to  the  boat's  crew — men  of 
"  Jack  Tar's "  true  definition  for  the  word  epicure : 
"  kind  of  beggars  as  will  eat  anything/' — before  a 
successful  cartridge  from  the  captain  laid  the  tough 
old  warrior  low.  A  more  unprepossessing  goose  I 
never  saw.  Its  head  was  ugly  and  enormous,  and 
the  thick  matting  of  down  and  feathers  which  pro 
tected  its  body  accounted  to  some  extent  for  its 
immunity  from  small  shot. 

Tempted  by  the  similarity  of  the  river  to  a  fine 
salmon  stream  in  Europe,  we  brought  our  rods  next 
day,  and  diligently  strove  with  small  fish,  which  had 
been  taken  the  previous  evening  in  the  seine, 
artificial  minnow,  and  spoon-bait,  to  allure  some  of 
the  finny  monsters  who,  by  all  the  rules  of  similitude, 
should  have  inhabited  its  waters. 

The  lake  seemed  formed  for  pike,  or  its  opposite 
nuniuer  south  of  the  Equator,  whatever  they  might 
happen  to  be,  should  our  own  fresh-water  shark  not 
exist  in  proprid  persona;  and  the  clear  sparkling 
river  dashing  over  its  rock-strewn  bed,  with  whirl 


FISHING  IN  PATAGONIA.  89 

and  foam,  or  gliding — dark,  swift  and  deep — by  the 
black,  tree-o'ershadowed,  precipitous  sides  of  the 
stream,  appeared  absolutely  created  for  some  Pata- 
gonian  fish,  answering  in  habits  to  the  salmon.  We 
trolled  round  the  most  likely  parts  of  the  lake,  over 
spots  that  a  fisherman  would  have  expected  every 
instant  to  have  got  a  run,  but  without  success ; 
and  H.  at  length,  disgusted  with  our  bad  luck, 
landed  to  make  a  cazuela,  and  left  me  to  try  the 
river  alone. 

The  forest  grew  so  thick,  and  the  under-cover  was 
so  dense,  we  were  unable  to  go  beyond  the  water 
commanded  from  the  boat.  The  scenery  was  ex 
quisite,  and  the  day,  for  a  wonder,  almost  tropical. 
The  river,  as  far  as  we  could  see,  ran  in  a  torrent 
over  crag  and  boulder,  forming  a  succession  of 
cascades  and  pools,  until  it  became  lost  by  a  sudden 
bend  in  a  forest  of  cedar-trees.  The  wooded  hills 
ran  up  on  either  side  to  a  great  height,  and  in  the 
distance  a  waterfall  of  nearly  a  thousand  feet  fell 
into  the  river  from  the  higher  mountains,  whose 
summits  were  covered  with  perpetual  snow. 

After  a  few  casts  in  the  rapids  I  got  a  run,  and 
before  our  luncheon  was  ready  succeeded  in  landing 
a  dozen  and  a  half  fish  about  herring  size.  They 
were  shaped  somewhat  like  a  trout,  but  longer  in 
proportion  to  their  size,  had  no  scales,  and  were  a 
greenish  colour,  like  the  hue  on  a  mackerel's  back ; 
not  bad-looking  fish,  and  turned  out  eventually  to  be 
pretty  good  eating  also.  They  were  all  killed  with 
a  small  fish  caught  by  a  seining  party  the  previous 
evening,  which  I  mounted  on  a  flight  of  hooks  with 


90  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

a  spinner;  but  I  was  a  good  deal  disappointed  at  not 
getting  something  heavier,  as  more  likely-looking 
water  I  never  threw  a  line  across. 

It  was,  however,  a  pleasant  on  ting.  The  thin 
cloud  of  blue  smoke  from  our  wood  fire,  the  perfume 
of  flowers,  the  warbling  of  birds,  the  splashing  of 
rapid  water  as  it  dashed  over  the  rocks  (sweet  music 
to  a  fisherman),  the  knowledge  that  a  chef  was 
preparing  food,  that  the  drinks  were  cooling,  and 
the  magnificent  scenery  all  around,  unsurpassed  I 
truly  believe,  in  the  world,  all  combined  to  make  a 
"  marked  day,"  even  in  the  eventful  career  of  such 
wanderers  as  ourselves. 

The  weather,  which  for  a  couple  of  days  had  been 
quite  delightful,  next  morning  charged  to  wind  and 
rain,  and  on  our  starting,  compelled  us  to  put  into 
Halt  Bay,  only  three  miles  from  Grey  Harbour  ;  a 
short  distance  that  took  our  "  old  tub  "  three  hours' 
hard  steaming  to  accomplish.  The  water  here  is 
deep,  but  space  confined ;  and  before  anchoring  in 
twenty-four  fathoms,  we  were  dodging  about  alter 
nately  from  side  to  side  of  the  little  bay,  and  could 
have  easily  jumped  on  shore  dry-shod.  The  coasts 
are  lofty,  precipitous,  and  wooded  ;  and  were  marked 
by  a  line  of  trees,  torn  in  a  lane  from  about  half-way 
up  to  the  sea  by  some  avalanche  which  had  carried 
them  away  bodily,  roots  and  all. 

Our  next  anchorage  was  at  Island  Harbour,  on 
the  eastern  shore,  twenty  miles  from  the  Gulf  of 
Penas — a  small  but  land-locked  anchorage,  well 
placed  for  vessels  entering  or  leaving  these  channels, 
and  possessing  good  holding-ground,  with  plenty  of 


FLY-FISHING  IN  PATAGONIA.  91 

wood  and  water.  Its  position  is  marked  by  an  island 
a  short  mile  to  the  southward,  arid  near  the  entrance 
are  two  small  islets,  called  Brown  and  Phipps  islands. 
A  bank  or  bar  of  rocky  ground  stretches  across  from 
Phipps  Island  to  the  main  on  each  side.  Tempted 
by  the  appearance  of  a  small  river  at  the  head  of  the 
harbour,  I  took  my  rod,  and  following1  the  course  of 
the  stream,  arrived  at  a  picturesque  little  lake  over 
hung  with  trees,  but  having  on  one  side  a  gently 
shelving  bank  of  pebbles  and  sand,  which  enabled 
me  to  wade  well  out  of  reach  of  the  trees,  and  fish 
in  comparatively  deep  water.  A  more  propitious 
day  for  fishing  one  could  hardly  have  wished  for. 
It  was  cloudy,  yet  without  any  sign  of  rain,  and 
sufficient  wind  to  raise  a  gentle  curl  over  the  water ; 
just,  in  fact,  what  a  man  would  order  were  there 
any  choice  in  the  matter.  The  water  looked  most 
alluring.  Sand  and  gravel  on  one  side,  and  deep 
water  with  peat-like  banks  on  the  other ;  rushes 
and  lilies  to  afford  shelter,  and  a  strong  current 
of  running  water  passing  through  the  centre,  carried 
food  from  the  mountains  to  the  fish  who  ought  to 
have  inhabited  so  fair  a  territory. 

I  worked  for  some  hours  with  many  kinds  of  fly, 
and  tried  both  natural  and  artificial  minnow  without 
success.  The  streams  also  I  searched  diligently,  and 
at  last  was  reluctantly  compelled  to  admit  that  the 
promising  appearance  of  both  lake  and  river  was 
merely  a  pitfall,  a  snare,  and  a  delusion,  and  that 
the  angler  has  no  place  for  his  calling  in  the  lovely 
but  deceitful  waters  of  Patagonia. 

The  country   was   very   lovely,   but   the   ground 


92  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


lying  in  ridges  about  a  hundred  feet  high,  the 
valleys  between  them,  being  thickly  timbered  with 
the  usual  amount  of  undercover  and  fallen  trees 
covered  with  moss,  and  which  had  to  be  got  through 
somehow,  we  found  it  hard  work  getting  along ;  and 
after  beating  several  likely-looking  covers,  without 
seeing  anything  except  a  few  green  parrots,  we  gave 
up  all  hopes  of  sport,  by  either  land  or  water,  and 
returned  to  our  floating  home. 

Next  morning  we  again  attempted  to  get  into  the 
Gulf  of  Peiias.  It  had  been  our  object  to  effect 
this  without  any  stoppages  ever  since  leaving  Halt 
Bay  ;  but  again  squalls  of  wind  and  blinding  rain, 
shortly  after  starting,  compelled  a  premature  anchor 
ing  on  the  lee-side  of  Sombrero  Island — a  small 
thickly  wooded  spot,  with  one  very  high  precipitous 
hill  in  the  centre,  which  gives  an  outline,  when  seen 
from  a  distance,  sufficiently  resembling  a  man's  hat 
to  warrant  the  island  receiving  its  name. 

The  gale  continuing,  we  remained  here  a  couple  of 
days,  amusing  ourselves  by  catching  some  bright  red 
perch-like  fish,  which  were  excellent  eating,  shooting 
a  few  small  birds,  and  sending  parties  to  cut  wood ; 
and  on  the  13th  of  February  we  again  made  an 
effort  to  cross  the  gulf. 

Fate,  however,  as  well  as  the  wind,  was  dead 
against  us,  and  no  sooner  had  we  cleared  the  island, 
than  a  succession  of  "  williwaws  "  drove  us  back  to 
our  old  quarters  under  Sombrero.  As  we  were 
coming  to  an  anchor,  the  wind  suddenly  shifted 
completely  round ;  and  the  ship,  as  was  constantly 
the  case,  not  answering  her  helm,  we  tailed,  before 


WE  GET  ON  SHORE.  93 


the  anchor  which  we  let  go  could  prevent  it,  quietly 
on  to  the  rocks.  A  keclge  was  immediately  got  out ; 
another  hawser  was  fastened  to  a  convenient  tree  on 
shore;  the  ship  was  lightened  where  she  struck,  and 
in  about  five  hours,  with  the  help  of  a  rising  tide,  we 
managed  to  hawl  her  off.  Had  there  been  a  swell  on 
we  should  have  found  it  rather  inconvenient ;  as  most 
likely,  in  that  case,  we  should  have  broken  up  and 
gone  to  pieces  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and 
had  to  camp  on  Sombrero  for  perhaps  months  before 
anyone  even  heard  of  us.  As  it  was,  we  only 
touched  once  very  lightly,  and  succeeded  in  hauling 
off  with  but  comparatively  little  trouble,  and  no 
apparent  damage.  Next  day  we  again  tried  to  cross 
this  troublesome  gulf,  which  was  rapidly  becoming 
to  us  what  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  was  to  the 
"  Flying  Dutchman  ;"  and  again,  after  burning  any 
quantity  of  coal  and  wood,  we  were  driven  into 
harbour  at  Port  Ballinas,  not  more  than  ten  miles 
from  Sombrero  Island,  and  not  over  two  on  our 
straight  road.  I  never  remember  a  continuance  of 
more  unpleasant  weather — very  cold  and  squally, 
with  rain  and  hail ;  and  this,  too,  in  the  height  of 
summer,  with  flowers  and  fruit  in  profusion,  and 
humming-birds  fluttering  over  the  open  blossoms  in 
every  sheltered  vale.  I  wonder  what  the  winter  can 
be  like — cold,  I  expect,  very. 

On  the  15th  we  left  Port  Ballinas,  a  swell,  but  no 
wind,  being  all  we  had  against  us;  and  at  last  got 
fairly  into  the  Gulf  of  Penas,  after  five  separate 
attempts,  and  being  six  days  doing  fifty  miles. 

Of  all  the  utterly  useless,  makeshift,  waste-of-money 


94  THE  TWO  AMEBICAS. 

ships,  we  have  in  the  British  Navy,  these  double- 
screw  composite  gun-vessels  of  the  Rocket  and 
Boxer  *  class  are  the  most  so.  They  are  badly  built, 
can  neither  sail  nor  steam,  and  are  at  times  utterly 
unmanageable,  answering  neither  screw  nor  helm 
when  wanted  to  go  round,  and  are  even  unfitted 
for  carrying  the  7-inch  6^-ton  gun  they  are  armed 
with,  the  concussion,  when  fired  with  a  battering 
charge,  shaking  them  far  more  than  they  can 
properly  bear.  The  few  shots  fired  by  way  of 
practice  once  a  quarter  are  all  they  can  stand ;  but  if 
required  for  a  bombardment,  half  a  day's  incessant 
firing  would  completely  knock  them  out  of  time. 

Asa  matter  of  course,  they  were  built  for  purposes 
of  economy,  i.e.,  by  way  of  utilizing  the  engines  of 
a  very  small  class  of  gun-boat  no  longer  required 
after  the  Crimean  War,  by  putting  two  of  them 
together  to  do  the  work  of  one. 

Had  the  brilliant  originator  studied  the  fifth 
chapter  of  St.  Luke,  and  remembered  the  36th  and 
37th  verses,  he  never  would  have  built  new  ships 
for  his  old  engines.  As  it  is,  his  neglected  religious 
education  has  caused  the  country  considerable  expense, 
and  given  our  Navy  the  disgrace  of  possessing  a 
class  of  vessel  like  the  Rocket,  which  took  five  weeks 
going  through  the  Straits  as  far  as  Port  Ballinas 
and  the  Boxer,  who  was  ninety-six  days  going  from 
Esquimault  to  Callao.  That  the  constructor  should 
be  able  to  say  "  he  never  heard  any  complaints  about 
them,"  is  more  than  probable,  and  very  easily 
accounted  for.  Notwithstanding  their  utter  useless- 
*  See  Appendix  A. 


REMARKABLE  KELP.  95 

ness,  they  are  the  best  commands  a  lieutenant  can 
have  ;  and  as  it  is  far  more  pleasant  to  be  captain 
of  one's  own  ship,  no  matter  what  her  defects  may 
be,  than  subordinate  in  another,  no  growl  is  ever 
likely  to  reach  their  Lordships  ;  and  if  the  accommo 
dation  is  pretty  good,  and  the  rate  of  speed  only  four 
knots,  except  in  very  exceptional  cases,  what  does  it 
matter  ?  A  commission  can  only  last  a  certain  time, 
and  going  four  knots,  or  fourteen,  will  not  shorten  its 
duration,  nor  render  the  expected  day  of  promotion 
or  orders  for  England  one  moment  the  sooner. 

Before  bidding  farewell  to  these  regions,  I  must 
not  omit  to  notice  one  of  the  most  striking  features 
of  the  Straits,  and  that  is,  the  immense  quantity  of 
kelp,  or  sea- weed,  which  over  the  entire  sea-board 
envelopes  the  coast.  Through  all  the  numerous 
bays  and  channels  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  and  Southern 
Patagonia  are  to  be  found  enormous  fields  of  Macro- 
cystis  pyrifera ;  many  of  the  plants  attaining  a 
length  of  between  three  and  four  hundred  feet.  On 
shaking  a  bunch,  which,,  as  it  is  perpetually  fouling 
boats,  anchors,  and  fishing-lines,  I  had  to  do  more 
than  once,  innumerable  Crustacea  are  discovered 
adhering  to  its  leaves.  Cuttle-fish,  crabs,  small  fish, 
shells,  sea-eggs,  star-fish,  holothurise,  planarice,  and 
nereidous  animals  of  a  thousand  forms,  all  tumble 
about  together.  The  leaves  below  the  surface  of 
the  water  are  so  thickly  encrusted  with  corallines, 
their  natural  dark  olive  is  rendered  entirely  white 
with  the  delicate  lace-like  tracery. 

Amid  these  vast  aquatic  forests  are  found  quan 
tities  of  fish  who  prey  on  the  Crustacea,  and  who  are 


96  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

in  their  turn  preyed  upon  by  cormorants,  kelp-geese, 
seals,  and  porpoises,  so  that  each  gigantic  bed  teams 
with  life  and  animation. 

Their  advantage  to  the  mariner  can  hardly  be 
overrated.  The  sea  inside  these  huge  masses  of 
Macrocystis  pyrifera,  in  the  roughest  weather,  is 
smooth  as  a  mill-pond,  no  storm  being  capable  of 
affecting  their  tough  but  yielding  beds;  so  that  a 
"  kelp  harbour "  becomes  a  term  synonymous  with 
a  safe  one.  -As  buoys  they  are  even  more  useful, 
and  no  ship  keeping  the  most  ordinary  look-out  need 
fear  sunken  rocks,  even  in  chartless  and  unsurveyed 
localities,  every  place  of  danger  being  distinctly 
marked  by  patches  of  kelp. 

Off  Cape  Tres  Montes,  a  bold  and  remarkable 
headland  rising  from  the  sea  to  a  height  of  2000  feet, 
at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  peninsula  of  the 
same  name,  which  we  wished  to  get  round,  the  wind 
shifted,  and  for  a  short  time  we  thought  it  possible 
that  once  more  we  should  be  driven  back ;  but  our 
ill-luck  at  length  deserted  us,  and  rounding  the  Cape 
we  at  last  started  fairly  for  Valparaiso,  everybody 
in  the  ship  except  myself  being  heartily  glad  to  get 
clear  of  the  Straits,  hard  work  and  bad  weather 
having  completely  extinguished  all  traces  of  their 
love  (if  it  ever  existed)  of  the  picturesque.  Off 
the  Chonos  Archipelago,  we  met  with  quantities 
of  albatross,  and  one  day,  being  nearly  becalmed, 
caught  eighteen  in  less  than  two  hours. 

The  process  of  capture  is  simple.  A  stout  line 
and  hook,  baited  with  pork  and  floated  with  pieces 
of  wood,  is  dropped  astern.  Should  the  ship  be 


ALBATROSS.  97 


moving,  it  is  necessary  to  retain  in  hand  a  suffi 
cient  quantity  of  line  to  enable  the  fisher  to  play  out 
enough  to  prevent  the  bait  being  dragged  before  the 
bird,  after  lighting  in  the  water,  has  time  to  seize  it. 
On  the  albatross  taking  the  bait,  the  hook  sticks  in 
his  strong  horny  beak,  and  after  a  good  deal  of 
hauling  he  is  landed  on  deck. 

The  largest  I  caught  measured  ten  feet  six  inches 
across  the  wings,  and  was  as  large  and  heavy  in  the 
body  as  a  big  swan.  The  long  pinion  bones  make 
admirable  pipe  stems,  the  feet  tobacco-pouches,  the 
heads  paper-weights,  and  the  bodies  were  invariably 
skinned  and  eaten  by  the  least  particular  of  the 
ship's  company,  to  whom  nothing  in  the  shape  of 
fresh  food  ever  seemed  to  come  amiss. 

The  slaughter  of  these  birds  seemed  to  act  on  our 
fortunes  in  a  manner  very  different  from  the  fate 
which  pursued  the  "Ancient  Mariner,"  who  "with 
his  cross-bow  did  kill  the  albatross,"  as  after  their 
destruction  we  were  blessed  with  strong  favourable 
gales,  which  sending  us  one  hundred  and  sixty-two, 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  two  succsesive 
days,  culminated  in  a  run  of  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
two  on  the  third,  and  landed  us  on  the  25th  of 
February,  1875,  at  Valparaiso. 


98  TI1E   TWO  AMERICAS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Valparaiso— Cleanliness  of  the  streets— Powers  of  an  Intendentc— 
Union  Club  at  Valparaiso— The  mountain  of  Aconcagua— Trip  to 
Santiago — A  refreshment  mom  absolutely  worse  than  those  in  England 
—Good-natured  Chilian— Muzzling  the  priests— Fruit— Santiago — 
Santa  Lucie  —  The  Alameda — Plaza  Independencia— The  park — 
The  clubs — The  fire  brigade— The  theatre — Chilian  dinner — Pisco — 
A  large  herd  of  sea-lions— Coquimbo — The  Guayacon  copper  works 
— Serana— The  line  to  Ovalle— Mineral  wealth  of  Chili— Gran  Hotel 
de  Francia— Limari— Chilian  country-life— Farming— The  lasso- 
Chilian  mounted— A  beggar  on  horseback— Compahia— Chili  a  well- 
governed  and  progressing  country. 

THE  first  view  of  Valparaiso  on  entering  the  har 
bour  is  disappointing  in  the  extreme.  A  steep 
hill  of  bare  red  earth,  on  which  are  perched  wooden 
shanties,  apparently  hanging  to  the  sides  of  an 
almost  perpendicular  mountain  by  scaffolding  and 
supports,  are  the  first  objects  that  catch  the  eye. 
Should  the  wind  be  blowing  off-shore,  clouds  of 
blinding  dust  are  whirled  far  beyond  the  shipping 
into  the  bay,  covering  everything  it  touches  with 
a  thick  coating  of  red  grit,  which  penetrates  like 
coal-dust  through  the  minutest  openings,  and  fills 
one's  mouth,  nose,  and  eyes,  most  unpleasantly. 
The  hill  gives  one  the  idea  of  a  human  rabbit-warren, 
the  habitations  being  so  burrowed  into  its  sides; 
and  the  houses  near  the  sea  being  half-hidden  by 


VALPARAISO.  99 

the  shipping,  my  first  impressions  were  decidedly 
unfavourable  of  the  moL*  prosperous  and  important 
sea- port  of  all  South  America. 

On  landing  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find  a 
street  of  fine  houses,  with  shops  which  would  be 
creditable  in  either  London  or  Paris ;  while  for 
scrupulous  cleanliness  it  infinitely  surpassed  either  of 
them.  Two  long  streets,  one  of  them  extending 
nearly  round  the  bay  as  far  as  the  railway  station, 
are  the  principal  thoroughfares ;  and  in  them  are 
the  finest  shops  and  most  important  houses  of 
business.  Street-cars  run  through  their  entire 
length  on  tramways,  and  are  fairly  horsed  and 
numerous ;  but  decidedly  the  most  striking  feature 
of  the  town  is  its  extreme  cleanliness.  On  remark 
ing  afterwards  to  one  of  its  inhabitants  how  much 
I  had  been  struck  by  this  unusual  feature  in  a 
foreign  town,  he  informed  me  that  it  was  entirely 
owing  to  the  care  and  determination  of  the  Intendente 
Echaurrin,  who,  on  liking1  the  reins  of  office,  had 
found  the  place  as  notorious  for  its  filth  and  dirt,  as 
it  was  now  celebrated  for  its  cleanliness ;  but  who, 
by  establishing  a  system  of  fines,  most  vigorously 
enforced,  aided  by  a  keen  personal  supervision,  had 
succeeded  at  length  in  making  Valparaiso  one  of  the 
cleanest  towns  I  was  ever  in. 

The  powers  of  an  Intendente  appear  to  be  almost 
absolute,  and  that  such  despotism  should  be  accorded 
to  an  individual  in  a  republic  appears  to  me  some 
what  incongruous ;  not  that  personally  I  object  to  it, 
as,  quite  on  the  contrary,  I  think  a  little  absolutism 
a  most  admirable  tonic,  which,  if  only  applied  at  home, 

n  2 


100  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

where  treason  can  be  spouted  unchecked  in  Trafalgar 
Square,  or  park  railings  torn  down  with  impunity, 
would  do  an  infinity  of  good ;  but  it  amused  me, 
when  I  thought  of  the  so-called  "Liberalism"  of 
Beales,  M.A.,  Dilke  and  Odger  ;  of  a  model  Republic 
got  up  under  their  auspices  ;  and  what  it  would 
eventually  lead  to. 

The  "  Intendente "  is  a  kind  of  military  Lord 
Mayor,  who  has  not  only  the  entire  control  of  the 
municipality,  but  also  command  of  the  troops,  and  is 
answerable  to  the  President  alone  for  his  actions. 

A  short  time  back,  an  inferior  actor,  an  unappre 
ciated  play,  or  some  other  reason,  caused  a  certain 
amount  of  hissing  to  take  place  at  one  of  the 
theatres.  The  hissing  was  done  by  some  young  men 
of  the  best  Chilian  families,  but  was  none  the  less  a 
decided  nuisance  to  the  audience,  from  the  persistent 
manner  in  which  it  was  conducted.  Senor  Echaurrin 
immediately  published  a  ukase  prohibiting  hissing 
at  all.  Next  evening  the  young  men  applauded  so 
vociferously  that  the  play  could  not  proceed,  and 
Senor  Echaurrin  promptly  ended  the  difficulty  by 
sending  in  a  party  of  soldiers,  who  cleared  them  all 
out  and  put  them  in  prison. 

He  derives  for  the  municipality,  from  fines  alone, 
chiefly  breaches  of  decency  and  cleanliness,  over 
$80,000  a  year.  He  fined  a  doctor  $50  for  not 
turning  out  one  night  when  called  upon  to  attend  a 
sick  person ;  arid  caused,  or  nearly  caused,  a  strike 
among  their  learned  fraternity.  In  fact,  he  is  the 
Governor  of  Valparaiso,  and  he  does  govern  it,  and 
right  well  to.  He  has  converted  the  dirtiest  town 


SANTIAGO.  101 


in  Chili  into  the  cleanest,  and  lias  given  monarchists 
a  lesson  they  might  well  lay  to  heait. 

The  consul  (at  whose  office  we  found  a  large  mail 
waiting  our  arrival)  was  kind  enough  to  get  us 
made  honorary  memhers  of  the  Union  Club,  an 
excellent  and  well-conducted  establishment;  and  I 
accordingly  deserted  the  Rocket  during  her  stay  in 
harbour. 

One  of  the  greatest  drawbacks  to  Valparaiso  is 
the  plague  of  dust  with  which  it  is  invariably 
afflicted.  From  the  houses  on  the  hill-side  the 
shipping  was  at  times  hidden  by  clouds  blown  across 
the  bay;  and  even  Aconcagua,  the  second  highest 
mountain  in  the  world  —  23,910  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea — was  seldom  visible  except  through  its 
xnurky  colouring.  The  time  of  the  year,  unfortu 
nately,  was  most  ill-adapted  for  obtaining  a  good 
view,  and  though  we  could  generally  see  Acon 
cagua  every  day,  the  atmosphere  was  so  heavy  and 
lurid  with  dust,  that  the  view  was  never  sufficiently 
satisfactory  to  be  termed  a  good  one,  though  the 
whole  of  the  huge  monster  was  constantly  visible, 

Santiago,  the  capital  of  Chili,  is  about  a  hundred 
miles  from  Valparaiso  by  rail.  The  morning  H.  arid 
myrelf  started  to  visit  it,  the  train  was  so  crowded 
with  people  returning  from  a  course  of  sea-bathing 
— Valparaiso  being  one  of  their  only  fashionable 
watering-places — that  we  had  difficulty  in  getting 
seats  at  all,  and  then  only  m  different  second- 
class  compartments  ;  the  President — Don  Frederico 
Errazuriz  —  travelling  by  the  same  train  perhaps 
making  it  extra  full.  I  was  fortunate  in  getting  in 


102  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

with  pleasant  people,  agreeable  and  polite.  H.,  less 
lucky,  fell  in  with  a  lot  of  mothers  and  babies,  and 
was  half  smothered  by  small  children. 

Shortly  after  leaving,  a  gentleman  taking  out  his 
case  of  cigarettes  offered  them  to  a  couple  of  good- 
looking  ladies,  and  then  commenced  smoking  without 
any  further  permission,  though  the  ladies  did  not  on 
this  occasion  join  him.  The  journey  was  to  a  certain 
extent  interesting,  from  the  extremely  high  grade  of 
the  line  where  we  crossed  a  mountain  range,  but  lay 
through  a  perfectly  hideous  country.  Bare  hills  of 
rock  and  red  earth,  with  a  few  stunted  bushes  or 
prickly-pear,  extended  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 
Occasionally  a  patch  of  cultivated  land  was  to  be 
met  with  ;  but  not  until  we  reached  Llaillai,  where 
we  remained  twenty  minutes  to  breakfast,  was 
anything  like  farming  to  be  seen. 

Having  been  recommended  to  breakfast  here,  and 
having  eaton  nothing  prior  to  starting,  I  was  un 
commonly  sharp  set  on  our  arrival,  and  rushed 
with  a  crowd  of  others  to  the  refreshment-rooms. 
Alas !  infamously  as  our  own  refreshment-rooms  are 
conducted,  here  was  something  worse ;  and,  not 
speaking  Spanish  very  fluently,  I  found  I  had  not  a 
chance  with  the  ravenous  Chilians,  who  pounced  on 
everything  eatable,  like  birds  of  prey. 

At  last  I  succeeded  in  getting  hold  of  something, 
which  on  inspection  appeared  to  be  half-cooked  hide 
with  the  hair  scraped  off  and  a  little  fat  left  adhering. 
I  tried  to  cut  it,  but  could  not :  in  desperation,  I 
adopted  the  national  method  I  saw  in  use  around 
me,  of  fingers  and  teeth,  but  failed  most  signally; 


MUZZLING   THE  PRIESTS.  103 

and  before  I  could  devise  another  plan,  the  engine 
whistled,  and  hungry  as  when  I  entered  the  rooms  I 
regained  my  cfirriage.  My  expression  of  counte 
nance  was  possibly  so  un amiable,  that  a  Chilian 
gentleman  remarked  he  feared  I  had  not  made  a 
good  breakfast ;  and  entering  into  a  general  con 
versation,  we  had  a  long  talk  about  the  state  of 
Chili,  its  government,  and  its  resources.  The 
President  being  in  the  train  naturally  became  the 
subject  of  inquiries  and  remarks. 

It  seems  that  he  owed  his  election  mainly  to  the 
influence  of  the  priests,  whose  nominee  he  apparently 
was.  On  obtaining  office,  however,  his  views  under 
went  a  sudden  change,  and  he  brought  forward  some 
admirable  measures  for  curbing  the  sacerdotal  power 
and  obtaining  freedom  of  religious  worship  for  all 
sects,  colours,  and  creeds  in  Chili.  This  in  itself  was 
a  severe  blow  to  the  bigotry  of  the  clerical  party, 
who  up  to  this  period  had  been  as  intolerant  as  they 
were  powerful :  but  when  shortly  afterwards,  he 
brought  forward  a  measure  to  subject  the  priesthood 
to  common  law,  viz.,  that  if  a  priest  committed 
murder,  theft,  or  any  other  misdemeanor,  he  was  to 
be  tried  like  any  other  Chilian,  before  the  "judge  of 
crime,"  their  rage  knew  no  bounds,  and  every  effort 
was  made  to  prevent  the  bill  passing  through 
Congress. 

The  warmest  supporters  of  the  priests  were  the 
ladies ;  and  many  a  senator,  though  convinced  in 
himself  of  the  wisdom  of  the  measure,  had  little 
peace  in  the  domestic  circle  while  the  question  still 
pendcd.  One  obdurate  member,  who  persisted  in 


104  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


his  determination  to  vote  against  the  priests,  was 
rendered  non-effective  on  the  day  that  his  presence 
in  the  house  was  most  absolutely  required,  hy  the 
wife  of  his  bosom  administering  a  strong  dose  of 
croton  oil ;  while  another  member  was  locked  up  in 
his  own  study  by  three  strong-minded  females,  who 
assured  him  that  they  were  quite  determined  to  save 
his  soul,  arid  that  go  to  the  House  he  should  not. 

All  these  artifices  were  however  insufficient  to 
prevent  the  bill  passing,  and  though  there  is  no 
doubt  but  that  the  clericals  worked  to  the  utmost 
the  Jesuitical  doctrine  of  the  end  justifying  the 
means,  and  used  freely  and  with  the  usual  unecru- 
pulousness  of  Rome  whatever  methods  they  imagined 
would  gain  their  ends,  the  measure  was  success 
fully  carried,  arid  the  holy  fathers  became  amenable 
to  the  common  law  of  their  country. 

After  leaving  Llaillai  the  ascent  became  exceed 
ingly  steep,  the  grade  in  some  places  being  one  ioot 
in  forty.  On  the  right-hand  side  we  passed  an 
immense  tract  of  perfectly  level  land,  lying  in  a 
valley  almost  entirely  cultivated  with  wheat. 
Huge  unthrashed  heaps  were  lying  on  the  plains 
waiting  for  mares  to  tread  it  out,  such  being  still  the 
primitive  custom  on  their  farms,  though  why  a 
country,  whose  most  important  export  next  to  copper 
is  corn,  should  still  resort  to  such  a  tedious  and 
uneconomical  habit  is  more  than  I  can  understand. 

I  observed  one  small  herd  of  alpacas  in  a  field 
near  the  rail,  and  occasionally  herds  of  cattle  and 
horses;  but  the  country  we  were  passing  through 
was  evidently  but  ill-adapted  for  cattle-breeding  on 


FRUIT.  105 


any  very  extended  scale,  the  south  of  Chili,  about 
Valdivia  and  Lota,  being  the  chief  seats  of  that 
particular  branch  of  agriculture.  Apples,  pears, 
grapes,  melons,  and  peaches  were  to  be  had  in 
abundance ;  but  though  the  latter  attain  a  fair  size, 
are  perfect  in  appearance,  and  have  a  delicious 
perfume,  I  never  tasted  one  worth  eating  in  Chili. 

Anything  more  dusty  than  railway  travelling  in 
this  country  it  is  hard  to  imagine.  However,  our 
journey  was  drawing  to  an  end ;  my  new  acquaint 
ance  was  a  friend  of  the  genial  old  Captain  of  the 
Chacabnco  whom  we  had  met  at  Punta  Arenas.  He 
gave  me  his  card  and  insisted  on  our  both  dining 
with  him,  promising  to  get  us  made  honorary 
members  of  the  two  best  clubs  in  the  town  during  our 
stay  there  ;  indeed,  to  my  new  friend  Don  C.  E.'s 
hospitality  and  kindness  I  owed  an  extra-ngreeable 
visit  to  the  capital,  and  a  considerable  amount  of 
useful  information. 

Santiago — perhaps  best  known  in  Europe  as  the 
scene  of  that  terrible  fire  in  a  church,  where  over 
tu*o  thousand  women  of  the  first  families  in  Chili 
were  burned  to  death— is  a  town  of  about  130,000 
inhabitants,  and  situated  on  a  plain  at  the  foot  of  the 
Cordillera  Mountains.  Admirably  supplied  with 
water,  running  streams  of  which  flow  through  every 
house,  it  has  a  pleasant  general  aspect,  from  the 
trees  and  flowers  which  this  plentiful  supply  enables 
people  to  grow  in  the  patio  attached  to  all  the  houses 
of  the  upper  classes. 

Santa  Lucie,  a  curious  rock,  to  the  summit  of 
which  has  been  constructed  a  carriage-drive,  is  one 


106  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

of  the  remarkable  objects  of  the  town.  From  tlie  top 
on  a  clear  day  a  charming  view  is  to  he  obtained. 
It  reminded  me  a  good  deal  of  the  one  seen  from  the 
roof  of  Milan  Cathedral,  when  looking  at  the  distant 
Alps  across  the  plains  of  Lombardy. 

Though  neither  trouble  nor  expense  has  been 
spared  to  render  Santa  Lucie  an  attraction  and  a 
success,  the  execrably  bad  taste  of  the  designer  of 
the  works  has  completely  nullified  the  object  in  view. 
Tawdry  statues,  badly  made  paths,  artificial  rocks, 
with  labels  on  them  in  badly  printed  characters  in 
forming  the  world  in  general  that  this  is  "  The 
abode  of  bliss,"  "  The  home  of  love,"  or  something 
equally  absurd,  are  the  prevailing  features ;  and  a 
general  meretricious  and  intensely  artificial  appear 
ance  characterizes  the  whole  affair.  It  really  i°  a 
pity,  as  a  tenth  part  of  the  money,  expended  with 
only  average  good  taste,  might  have  made  the  huge 
rock  a  very  great  ornament. 

The  Alameda,  a  promenade  with  rows  of  trees  and 
streams  of  running  water,  is  of  considerable  extent, 
and  adorned  with  equestrian  statues  of  the  prin 
cipal  historical  characters  of  the  country.  One  of 
O'Higgins,  a  celebrated  leader  at  the  time  of  their 
war  of  independence,  is  noticeable  for  the  extreme 
vivacity  of  the  gentleman  on  horseback.  He  is 
depicted  as  having  just  ridden  down  a  Spanish 
standard-bearer,  who  is  lying  under  his  horse's 
feet,  still  grasping  the  fallen  banner ;  the  reins  are 
on  the  horse's  neck,  who  is  rearing  madly,  while  th"» 
great  O'Higgins,  with  hands  and  arms  elevated  in 
the  air,  one  flourishing  a  sword  towards  Heaven,  and 


PLAZA  INDEPENDENCE.  107 

the  other  pointing  before  him,  is,  with  the  widest 
possible  stretch  of  open-mouth  conceivable  in  an 
Irishman,  calling  on  his  comrades  to  follow. 

The  Plaza  Independencia  is  another  fashionable 
resort,  being  a  large  square,  containing  a  frontage  of 
the  cathedral,  post-office,  some  well-built  shops,  and 
a  handsome  arcade.  In  the  centre  is  placed  a  foun 
tain,  surrounded  by  ornamental  trees  and  beds  of 
flowers.  The  cathedral  is  entirely  without  architec 
tural  beauty  of  exterior,  and  the  inside  is  equally 
plain  and  uninteresting. 

On  the  site  of  the  great  fire,  which  did  not  occur 
at  the  cathedral,  as  is  sometimes  erroneously  stated, 
but  at  a  church  a  few  hundred  yards  behind  it,  a 
handsome  statue  has  been  erected  to  commemorate 
the  catastrophe.  Facing  it  are  the  new  Houses  of 
Congress.  Nearly  all  the  buildings  are  one-storied, 
the  prevalence  of  earthquakes  (there  was  a  slight  one 
the  morning  of  our  arrival)  rendering  it  unsafe  to 
erect  any  more  pretentious  structure,  though  the  hotels 
and  a  few  public  buildings  are  exceptions  to  the  rule. 

Street-cars  on  the  American  system  are  in  abund 
ance  ;  and  owing  to  the  roads  being  execrably  kept 
and  full  of  ruts,  are  a  far  more  comfortable  mode 
of  progression  than  travelling  in  the  two-hoivcd 
hackney-carriages,  which  jolt  and  throw  one  about 
most  unpleasantly.  The  track  through  the  town  to 
the  suburbs  is  between  three  and  four  miles  long; 
the  fashion  of  one-storied  houses,  all  the  better  classes 
having  a  patio,  naturally  extends  the  city  over  a  con 
siderable  space,  which  is  otherwise  out  of  all  pro 
portion  to  the  number  of  its  inhabitants. 


108  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

Some  of  the  dwelling-places  of  the  poorer  classes 
were  very  wretched,  worse  than  the  most  miserable 
cahins  in  Ireland ;  still,  on  the  whole,  Santiago  is  a 
handsome,  well  kept  town,  and  may  he  fairly  com 
pared  with  the  generality  of  European  ones.  If,  from 
their  system  of  building  all  houses  in  one  story,  much 
of  the  poverty  of  the  lower  orders  is  exposed  to  the 
inquisitive  gaze  of  strangers,  we  must  not  forget  the 
filth,  dirt,  squalor,  and  wretchedness  we  have  con 
cealed  in  all  the  back  slums  of  our  own  towns,  which 
is  probably  greatly  in  excess  of  anything  to  be  met 
with  out  here. 

The  Park  was  quite  deserted  when  we  visited  it, 
but  possessed  nothing  attractive.  A  flat  badly  turfed 
piece  of  ground,  with  a  few  scattered  poplars,  a  cafe, 
and  a  pond  of  dirty-looking  water,  containing  a  steam- 
launch  and  a  few  pleasure-boats,  were  the  prevailing 
features.  In  the  season,  however,  it  is  different. 
Handsome  equipages,  with  really  pretty  and  well- 
dressed  ladies,  crowd  the  scene ;  and  gazing  at  the 
attractive  features  of  the  Chilian  fair  ones,  you  forget 
the  barrenness  of  their  surroundings,  their  hideous 
poplars,  and  the  dusty  park. 

There  are  two  excellent  Clubs,  "  The  Union"  and 
"  The  September,"  and  each  of  them  kindly  made  us 
honorary  members.  The  Union,  which  faces  the 
Alamecla,  is  the  most  luxurious,  and  has  a  handsome 
billiard-room,  with  five  tables  in  it.  The  patio  is 
ornamented  with  statuary  and  trees ;  and  a  good- 
sized  garden,  with  a  few  of  the  appliances  of  a  gym 
nasium,  stretches  some  distance  in  rear  of  the  building. 
The  cooking  was  gujd ;  but  the  constant  succession 


THE  FIRE  BRIGADE.  109 

of  solids,  and  the  quantity  of  substantial  entrees 
which  are  handed  round,  is  rather  trying  to  the 
novice  at  a  Chilian  dinner.  They  certainly  are  very 
heavy  feeders;  and  had  the  old  Roman  custom  of 
serving  out  emetics  at  stated  intervals  during  the 
banquet  been  adopted,  it  would  not  have  surprised 
me.  A  few  of  their  customs  strike  one  at  first  as 
being  a  little  singular.  Large  slices  of  melon  are 
handed  round  immediately  after  soup ;  an  occasional 
cigarette  is  taken  between  the  courses,  and  no  wine 

O  ' 

is  drunk  after  dinner. 

What  volunteering  is  among  us,  the  Fire  Brigade 
is  at  Santiago.;  and  nearly  all  the  young  men,  no 
matter  what  their  position  in  society  may  be,  belong 
to  some  such  corps.  They  elect  their  own  officers, 
under  whose  orders  they  drill,  wear  an  attractive 
uniform,  and  are  ready  to  turn  out  on  the  faintest 
sound  of  the  word  "  fire."  The  engines  are  either 
English  or  American,  and  are  beautifully  kept ;  in  fact 
"fire  duty "  is  the  prevailing  hobby,  and  all  classes 
enter  thoroughly  into  the  spirit  of  the  institution. 

Of  all  the  different  features  connected  with  this 
city,  the  Santiagaris  have  more  reason  to  be  proud  of 
their  theatre  than  anything  else.  A  little  smaller 
than  "  Drury  Lane,"  it  is  most  beautifully  propor 
tioned,  and  exquisitely  fitted  up.  The  tiers  of  boxes, 
which  are  open,  are  supported  on  the  outspread  wings 
of  angels;  the  decorations  are  in  admirable  good 
taste ;  and  the  furniture,  such  as  chairs  in  the  boxes, 
and  fiuteuil  stalls,  are  most  comfortable,  and  of  the 
veiy  finest  workmanship.  The  stage  is  amply  pro 
portioned,  and  I  certainly  consider  that  without  any 


110  TEE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

exception  the  theatre  at  Santingo  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  I  have  ever  seen.  The  exterior  is  quite 
simple  and  unattractive. 

Existence  at  Valparaiso  must  he  somewhat  monoto 
nous.  In  the  morning  we  rode  to  Fisherman's  Bay 
before  breakfast  and  had  a  swim.  Once  we  had  a 
cricket-match,  and  once  A.  P.  took  me  for  a  morn 
ing's  partridge-shooting.  We  started  fairly  early, 
hut  the  ground  was  so  parched  up  that  nowhere  did 
we  find  the  slightest  particle  of  scent.  I  shot  a  bird, 
which  Major  saw  fall  on  the  off-side  of  a  small  ravine ; 
and  though  he  made  a  pretty  good  guess  at  the  place, 
and  went  so  near  the  partridge  that  at  times  it  lay 
under  his  hind-feet,  he  could  smell  nothing,  and  at 
last  only  blundered  upon  it  by  accident. 

Business  even  appeared  stagnant.  The  towTn  was 
slowly  recovering  from  a  commercial  crisis,  caused 
by  over-speculation  in  the  mining  transactions  which 
marked  the  time,  and  which  had  been  carried  to  an 
extent  bordering  on  extreme  rashness.  Numbers 
were  ruined,  and  the  others,  either  hard  hit,  or, 
rendered  more  prudent  by  the  fate  of  their  com 
patriots,  viewed  the  most  remunerative  speculations 
with  an  eye  of  suspicion,  so  that  enterprise  and 
capital  were  equally  hard  to  move. 

We  had  brought  an  introduction  to  the  Intendente 
Senor  Don  —  Echaurrin,  from  Captain  S.,  and  shortly 
after  presenting  it  were  asked  to  fix  any  day  it 
would  be  convenient  for  us  to  dine  with  him.  A 
large  party  assembled  on  the  appointed  day,  a  good 
proportion  of  the  fair  PCX  being  present,  and,  among 
others,  Senor  Echaurrin's  sister,  Madame  Errazuriz, 


CHILIAN  DINNER.  Ill 

wife  of  the  President.  Several  notabilities  were 
among  the  men,  all  being  either  diplomatic  or  legal. 
The  gentlemen  wore  frock-coats  and  coloured  trousers; 
the  ladies  morning -dresses,  which  however  they 
changed  after  dinner  for  the  purpose  of  going  to  the 
opera. 

The  dinner  was  like  the  generality  of  Chilian 
feeds,  namely,  a  great  deal  of  solid  food,  commencing 
with  cazuela  and  melon.  Cazuela  is  rather  a  puzzler, 
as  part  of  a  young  head  of  Indian  corn,  which  is 
invariably  in  it,  requires  to  be  eaten  with  the  fingers, 
it  being  utterly  impossible  to  get  off  the  grain  in  any 
other  manner.  I  remember  trying  once  lo  scrape 
them  off  with  a  fork,  and  found  a  very  pretty  Chilian 
lady  watching  me  with  a  mixed  expression  of  amuse 
ment  and  surprise.  "  Well,  you  are  a  '  Gringoe/  ' 
she  said,  "  to  eat  cazuela  like  that ;"  so  for  the  future 
I  ate  like  the  natives  while  I  was  in  their  country. 
They  are  all  very  expert  with  their  fingers,  arid  can 
manage  a  knife  for  the  purpose  of  picking  up  peas 
and  gravy  nearly  as  cleverly  as  the  Germans,  who 
are  the  best  hands  at  the  knife  trick  in  Europe.  I 
shall  never  forget  an  old  German  lady,  with  a  face 
like  a  baboon,  polishing  off,  by  the  help  of  a  large 
dinner-knife,  a  soft-boiled  egg  one  morning  at  a  taUe- 
(Thote  in  Home.  However,  we  went  through  our 
dinner  very  comfortably,  getting,  besides  European 
wines,  two  native  beverages  called  pisco  and  c/iicha. 
The  pisco  was  excellent.  It  is  a  kind  of  brandy,  the 
finer  qualities  being  made  with  great  care  from  par 
ticular  grapes,  and  has  a  delicious  flavour  about  it  of 
muscatel. 


THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


After  dinner  we  adjourned  to  the  opera,  whero 
we  heard  '  Trovatore '  very  fairly  performed  by 
an  Italian  company.  To  the  Intendente's  box  a 
large  retiring-room  was  attached,  and  between  the 
acts  we  were  given  tea  and  refreshments.  In  fact, 
for  a  republic,  I  was  astonished  to  see  the  prominent 
citizens  going  in  for  what  in  Europe  we  consider  a 
privilege  and  exclnsiveness  only  to  be  afforded  to 
royalty.  Senor  Echaurrin  walked  back  with  us 
before  the  opera  was  quite  over,  and  from  the  way 
he  pitched  into  all  the  vigillantes  we  came  across,  and 
the  life  he  put  into  what  were  at  other  periods  a 
somewhat  phlegmatic  body,  when  they  detected  his 
approach,  it  was  very  evident  that  he  constantly 
kept  them  up  to  the  mark  by  personal  supervision. 
I  learned  two  things  from  my  intercourse  with  his 
Excellency  not  quite  patent  to  me  before — that  a 
republican  is  by  no  means  necessarily  a  democrat, 
and  that  republican  institutions  are  far  more  despotic 
than  anything  monarch  in  1. 

On  the  llth  of  March  we  left  Valparaiso,  and 
after  a  somewhat  rough  time  of  it,  during  which  we 
passed  through  a  large  herd  of  sea-lions,  we  arrived 
at  Coquimbo.  These  curious  animals  (Otaria  jubata) 
are  to  be  met  with  in  considerable  numbers  all  over 
the  Pacific  ocean  ;  and  in  Ferrol  Bay  enormous 
herds  appear  to  reside  all  through  the  year.  They 
vary  in  size  from  ten  to  eighteen  feet,  the  males 
having  large  manes,  which  flowing  round  their  neck 
and  breast  have  probably  caused  the  name  of  sea- 
lion  to  be  given  them.  The  females  have  no  marie, 
and  are  rather  darker  coloured.  Notwithstanding 


COQUUIBO.  113 


their  formidable  appearance  they  are  perfectly  harm 
less  and  at  a  distance  are  not  unlike  the  common  seal. 

Coquimbo  is  a  most  uninteresting-looking  place, 
being  merely  a  few  rows  of  houses  facing  the  bay, 
with  a  high  background  of  rocks,  sand,  and  brown 
earth.  Not  a  vestige  of  vegetation  is  anywhere  to 
be  seen  :  indeed,  nearly  all  the  northern  parts  of 
Chili  possess  the  same  sterile  features  ;  bun  as  the 
land  is  rich  in  mineral  productions,  and  has  such 
quantities  of  wealth  buried  beneatb,  it  may  be 
contented  with  its  unattractive  surface.  Metals  pay 
better  than  grain,  and  much  of  this  wretched-looking 
country  was  more  valuable  than  land  covered  with 
the  finest  crops. 

A  couple  of  miles  from  Coquimbo,  in  a  little  bay 
of  sufficient  depth  to  allow  vessels  to  load  alongside 
a  wooden  pier,  are  situated  the  celebrated  Guayacon 
copper  works.  The  manager,  Mr.  B.,  was  kind 
enough  to  take  us  round  and  explain  the  process  of 
smelting,  and  the  qualities  of  the  different  piles  of 
rough  ore  waiting  for  the  furnace.  Much  of  this 
ore  differed  in  quality  and  character,  so  that  a 
"  charge  "  of  the  one  differed  very  materially  from  a 
"  charge  "  of  the  other.  This  term  is  applied  to  the 
mixture  of  ores  when  prepared  for  the  furnace  in  the 
proper  proportions,  found,  by  previous  experiments 
in  the  laboratory  attached  to  the  works,  to  be  best 
adapted  for  producing  pure  metal.  In  all  of  them 
the  mixture  differs ;  and  I  noticed  that  among  some 
were  placed  considerable  quantities  of  slag,  to  assist  in 
the  development  required.  Some  of  the  ores  under 
went  quite  a  different  treatment,  and  were,  after  a 

I 


114  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 


process  of  pounding,  submitted  to  the  action  of 
sulphuric  acid  in  a  large  bath  ;  however,  it  is  not 
my  intention  lo  enter  on  a  critical  dissertation  on 
copper  smelting,  beyond  saying  that  the  process 
is  interesting  to  a  visitor,  and  particularly  re 
munerative  to  the  proprietors. 

Two  Chilian  gentlemen,  Messrs.  Urraaneta  and 
Errazuriz  are  the  joint  owners  of  these  valuable 
works ;  and  though  they  purchase  considerable 
quantities  of  rough  ore,  by  far  the  greater  portion  of 
copper  smelted  is  produced  from  their  own  mines. 
They  also  possess  coal,  which,  though  of  inferior 
quality  for  mercantile  purposes  (the  stuff  I  saw  at 
Guayacon  being  mere  dust),  is  sufficiently  inflammable 
to  smelt  their  metal,  and  must  of  course  be  an 
enormous  advantage  in  works  like  these. 

Nearly  opposite  Coquimbo,  and  about  seven  miles 
across  the  bay,  lies  the  town  of  Serana,  to  which 
indeed  Coquimbo  is  but  the  seaport.  After  the 
latter  wretched  place,  Serana  looks  lovely.  It  is  a 
quiet  little  town,  built  entirely  of  adobe,  and  kept 
very  clean.  The  alaineda  is  more  than  a  mile  long 
and  leads  almost  to  the  sea,  having  a  greater  portion 
of  the  way  a  row  of  poplars  on  each  side.  The  plaza 
has  a  fountain,  surrounded  by  a  small  garden  in 
which  were  some  very  fine  roses  and  carnations ; 
a  few  trees  grew  round  it,  among  which  I  noticed  a 
fair- sized  magnolia. 

Having  heard  that  pretty  good  partridge-shooting 
was  to  be  had  more  in  the  interior  of  the  country, 
H.  and  I  procured  a  letter  of  introduction  to  a 
Chilian  gentleman,  Don  K.,  and,  taking  Major,  started 


THE  LINE  TO  OVALLE. 


by  train  to  Ovalle,  a  town  about  sixty  miles  from 
the  coast,  and  near  which  was  the  estate  we  were 
going  to  visit. 

The  line  ran  over  the  mountains,  in  the  highest 
part  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and  the  driver 
being  an  Englishman  we  availed  ourselves  of  his 
offer  of  a  seat  on  the  engine  to  see  better  some  of 
the  steepest  grades.  The  first  five-and-twenty  miles 
of  our  road  ran  through  fairly  level  land,  cultivated 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  town  wherever  irrigation 
could  be  brought  to  bear;  but  as  we  got  further 
tillage  became  less,  and  at  last  disappeared  entirely. 
The  characteristics  of  the  country  always  maintained 
the  same  uniform  appearance  common  to  the  north  of 
Chili  ;  namely  ranges  of  hills  in  all  directions,  among 
which  we  seemed  to  wind  in  and  out;  parched-up 
plains,  and  bare  red  hills  of  earth,  covered  with  rocks, 
cacti,  and  prickly  pear. 

The  actual  ascent  of  the  mountains  is  by  a  zigzag 
road,  in  places  having  a  grade  of  one  foot  in  twenty- 
four.  It  was  curious  to  watch  from  the  engine  tho 
road  we  had  travelled  over  lying  beneath  us  ;  the 
one  we  had  still  to  pass  being  close  over  our  heads. 
The  driver,  a  most  intelligent  man,  pointed  out  all 
the  places  of  interest  we  passed  ;  showed  us  several 
copper  mines  just  visible  on  the  distant  hills,  and  was 
in  fact  to  his  line  the  pleasant,  communicative,  well- 
informed  guide,  that  long  ago  was  found  in  tho 
driver  and  guard  of  the  old  mail  coach.  Coming  to 
Chili  originally  as  a  fireman  in  one  of  the  Pacific 
steamers,  he  soon  gave  it  up  for  his  present  billet 
and  has,  I  take  it,  as  easy  and  pleasant  a  life  as  could 

i  2 


116  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

well  fall  to  the  lot  of  a  working  man.  About  six 
hours'  driving  a  clay,  no  nightwork,  no  work  on 
Sundays,*  and  £20  a  month  pay. 

One  cannot  help  being  struck  by  the  apparent 
vastness  of  mineral  wealth  in  Chili.  Fresh  copper 
and  silver  mines  are  daily  being  discovered,  and  as 
the  network  of  railways  which  are  gradually  being 
pushed  through  the  countiy  open  up  and  develop 
its  resources,  so  will  its  immense  mineral  wealth 
expand  and  create  for  itself  fresh  outlets  to  the 
European  market;  and  ere  many  years  elapse,  Chili 
will  become  the  great  copper  emporium  for  the 
world.  Several  of  the  ores  I  saw  contained  eighty 
per  cent,  of  pure  metal ;  one  specimen  ran  as  high  as 
ninety,  and  as  most  of  these  rich  veins  run  close  to 
the  surface,  and  are  to  be  got  at  with  but  little  labour 
or  expense,  I  fear  the  good  times  for  the  Cornish 
proprietors  may  be  considered  as  having  past. 

The  railway  station  at  Ovalle  is  about  three  miles 
from  the  town.  The  road  leading  to  it  is  steep  and 
dusty.  Carriages  being  in  attendance,  we  hired  a 
ricketty  conveyance,  with  three  horses  harnessed 
abreast,  to  take  us  there.  Some  of  the  private  car 
riages  had  four  horses  harnessed  in  the  same  manner. 
All  small  towns  in  Chili  are  so  much  alike,  that 
describing  them  becomes  mere  repetition.  All  are 
built  of  adobe  (large  sun-dried  mud  bricks)  con 
structed  in  blocks,  have  single-storied  houses,  the 
better  class  with  a  patio;  a  cathedral,  a  plaza,  or 
large  square  with  a  fountain  in  the  centre  of  it,  and 
an  alameda  somewhere,  and  to  this  general  descrip 
tion  Ovalle  was  not  dissimilar. 


117 


We  put  up  at  the  "  Gran  Hotel  de  Francia,"  kept 
by  Senor  Juan  Christian,  a  Frenchman  of  wandering 
disposition,  who  appeared  to  have  been  kicked  all 
over  the  world  in  his  search  for  gold.  He  had 
picked  up  English  at  the  diggings  in  Australia,  and 
further  perfected  his  education  in  California  by 
learning  to  swear ;  and  as  his  conversation  was 
freely  interlarded  with  expletives  more  forceable  than 
polite,  the  natives  who  could  partly  understand  him 
must  have  had  a  queer  idea  of  our  national  tongue. 

A  surveying  party  who  had  been  prospecting  for 
gold  in  the  Andes,  and  were  now  going  south 
to  work  a  rich  quartz  deposit,  were  staying  at  the 
hotel.  What  their  nationalities  were  it  would  be 
difficult  to  guess ;  but  all  spoke  English,  and  had 
been  much  about  the  world.  One  of  them  informed 
us  he  had  been  a  lieutenant  in  the  Royal  Navy ;  but 
he  told  us  so  many  other  curious  things  at  the  same 
time,  it  became  utterly  impossible  to  separate  fact 
from  fiction,  so  we  took  the  whole  as  the  workings  of 
a  somewhat  heated  imagination.  In  California  he 
had  grown  beetroot,  one  plant  of  which  four  men 
were  unable  to  lift  from  the  ground  after  it  had  been 
dug  up.  In  British  Columbia  he  had  chased  deer 
with  a  steamboat  among  the  numerous  islands  of 
the  Gulf  of  Georgia  ;  while,  in  Vancouver,  he  had 
hunted  salmon  up  the  small  creeks  in  such  numbers, 
that  on  arriving  at  the  end  they  all  jumped  on  shore 
to  avoid  capture. 

We  drove  to  Limari,  and  presented  our  letter 
to  Don  R.,  who  most  kindly  pressed  us  to  stay. 
Learning,  however,  that  his  house  was  overfull  for 


118  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


the  night,  we  determined  on  returning  to  the  hotel, 
Don  E.  promising  that  early  next  morning  we  should 
be  provided  with  horses  and  a  guide  to  take  us  to 
the  most  likely  parts  of  his  estate  for  partridge,  arid 
that  he  would  afterwards  send  for  our  luggage. 

No  Chilian  has  the  slightest  idea  of  the  value  of 
time,  and  it  was  nearly  twelve  o'clock  before  the  guide 
and  hordes  put  in  an  appearance — quite  too  late  for 
any  shooting.  Even  had  we  been  ardent  enough  to 
have  ventured,  the  birds,  more  sensible,  would  have 
declined  rising.  During  the  heat  of  the  day  you 
may  kick  a  partridge  before  he  will  take  wing  iti 
this  part  of  the  world.  Our  guide  took  us  a  long 
ride  in  the  evening,  but  not  a  partridge  did  we  come 
across,  nor  any  kind  of  game. 

On  our  return  to  the  house  we  found  that  Don 
R.'s  friends  had  departed,  that  our  traps  had  arrived, 
and  that  comfortable  quarters  had  been  found  for  us 
in  a  bedroom  overlooking  the  farm,  having  a  small 
sitting-room  attached  to  it. 

A  large  party  assembled  at  mealtimes,  the  head 
farm-servants  messing  with  the  family.  I  was  much 
amused  one  evening,  when  twelve  of  us  were  seated 
round  the  table,  at  number  thirteen  coming  in  rather 
late,  and  being  laughingly  packed  off  to  find  someone 
else  to  enter  with  him,  or  to  eat  his  dinner  elsewhere. 
I  had  often  heard  that  thirteen  was  an  unlucky  number, 
but  this  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen  summary 
justice  dealt  out  to  the  individual  that  made  it. 

Next  morning,  with  a  fresh  guide,  an  old  French 
gardener  devoted  to  "  la  chasse,"  we  again  tried 
our  luck,  but  only  killed  a  brace  of  banduria  and  a 


CHILIAN  COUNTRY  LIFE.  119 

couple  of  dozen  tortolita,  not  having  even  seen  a 
partridge.  The  tortolita-shooting  was  rather  good, 
as  they  were  very  numerous  arid  are  a  quick-flying 
bird,  not  easily  to  be  hit.  They  belong  to  the  dove 
tribe,  and  are  excellent  eating ;  much  better  than 
the  partridge,  which  are  dry  and  tasteless.  The 
immense  number  of  hawks  and  kites  we  saw  every 
where,  fully  accounted  for  the  scarcity  of  game,  arid 
I  only  wondered  how  any  birds  could  exist  where 
these  latter  pests  were  in  such  abundance. 

Giving  up  all  idea  of  shooting,  we  devoted  the 
remainder  of  our  time  to  riding  about  the  property, 
and  indulging  in  the  dolce  far  niente  which  forms 
no  inconsiderable  portion  of  life  in  Chili. 

The  farm,  which  was  of  considerable  size,  having 
a  large  proportion  of  acres  under  actual  cultivation, 
chiefly  produced  wheat  and  cattle.  Charmingly 
situated  on  a  level  plain  between  two  high  moun 
tains,  through  which  ran  a  sparkling  little  river,  it 
was  also  supplied  by  the  hills  on  each  side  of  it  with 
an  extra  quantity  of  water,  thus  enabling  the  owner 
to  completely  irrigate  every  foot  of  his  land.  The 
great  scarcity  of  moisture,  and  the  entire  absence  of 
rain  except  at  certain  seasons,  is  what  makes  the 
country  at  this  time  of  the  year  so  arid  and  bare  of 
natural  vegetation.  In  the  winter,  and  after  the 
rains,  these  apparent  deserts  are  clad  with  wild 
flowers  and  a  redundancy  of  verdure,  and  even  the 
barren  hills  of  Coquirnbo  are  carpeted  with  nature's 
loveliest  garb. 

Where  an  ample  supply  of  water  can  be  com 
manded,  everything  will  grow  that  is  simply  put 


120  THE   TWO  AMEEICAS. 

into  the  ground.  Manuring  land  is  a  thing  unheard 
of,  the  natural  richness  of  the  soil  being  so  great,  that 
such  a  process  would  be  merely  time  lost.  Farm 
labour  is  from  eighteen  pence  to  two  shillings  a  day. 
The  most  ancient  methods  are  still  retained  for  treating 
grain,  the  ears  of  which  being  merely  collected,  it  is 
then  trodden  out  by  mares,  and  winnowed  by  hand. 
The  system  of  irrigation  is  wasteful  and  laborious,  no 
wooden  sluices  or  floodgates  being  constructed  in  the 
waterways.  "When  the  water  requires  turning,  a 
cumbersome  process  of  digging  a  dam  on  the  spot 
has  to  be  resorted  to ;  yet,  notwithstanding  all  these 
drawbacks,  Don  E.  assured  me  that,  after  deducting 
all  expenses  connected  with  the  farm  and  house,  it 
returned  him  ten  per  cent,  clear  money.  The  cattle- 
breeding  farm  was  a  day's  ride  from  Limari,  the 
beasts  being  generally  brought  in  when  required  for 
sale,  so  as  to  undergo  a  fattening  process  on  the 
vast  fields  of  long  stubble  and  lucern,  prior  to 
appearing  for  sale.  Lucern  thrives  in  a  remark 
able  manner,  as  many  as  five  crops  being  frequently 
taken  from  the  same  ground  in  the  course  of  a 
twelvemonth. 

The  Chilians  are  very  expert  in  the  use  of  the 
lasso,  which  forms  part  of  the  equipment  of  every 
mounted  man.  Don  R.  showed  me  what  is  con 
sidered  their  neatest  feat,  namely  taking  the  two  s 
fore-legs  of  a  horse  at  the  gallop.  In  doing  this  the 
lasso  is  not  swung  in  the  usual  manner  above  the 
head,  but  trailed,  and  cast  underhand.  We  went 
into  the  "  corral,"  where  some  hundred  horses  were 
running  about,  and,  making  me  select  an  animal  out 


A  BEGGAR  ON  HORSEBACK.  121 

of  the  crowd,  we  drove  all  past  where  he  was 
standing  as  hard  as  they  could  gallop.  In  a 
moment  the  lasso  flew,  and  sure  enough  there  was 
the  victim  I  had  pointed  out,  with  the  rope  round 
each  fore-leg.  The  swinging  cast  is  comparatively 
easy,  and  I  soon  managed  after  a  few  lessons  to  get 
it  out  pretty  straight,  but  the  peons  can  place  it 
unfailingly  on  the  horns  of  the  wildest  bull  going  at 
the  top  of  his  speed  across  the  country. 

The  natives  may  almost  be  said  to  live  on  horse 
back,  and  their  costume  is  exceedingly  picturesque; 
high-peaked  wooden  saddle  padded  with  skins,  boot- 
shaped  stirrups  of  solid  wood,  elaborately  carved, 
and  weighing  about  ten  pounds  the  pair,  knee-boots, 
with  solid  silver  spurs  weighing  frequently  over 
three  pounds,  the  rowels  being  sometimes  much 
larger  than  a  Mexican  dollar;  and  a  gaily-coloured 
poncho  and  straw  hat  complete  the  attire.  The  bits 
are  terribly  severe,  the  very  slightest  touch  being 
sufficient  to  bring  a  horse  on  his  haunches.  Ladies 
dress  much  the  same  as  everywhere  else ;  but  the 
black  manto,  covering  the  upper  part  of  head  and 
body,  is  common  to  all  classes,  though  generally 
worn  during  Divine  service. 

No  one  could  have  been  kinder  or  more  hospitable 
than  our  friend,  Don  E.,  and  though  we  were 
disappointed  about  the  shooting,  we  had  a  very 
pleasant  time  and  enjoyed  our  visit  immensely.  On 
our  way  back  we  met  a  veritable  beggar  on  horse 
back.  He  was  old  and  dilapidated,  but  his  mount 
was  by  no  means  a  "  screw,"  and  looked  in  very 
good  condition.  I  thought  of  the  old  saying,  "  Put 


122  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

a  beggar  on  horseback,"  etc.,  which  I  certainly 
never  expected  to  have  seen  so  literally  realised; 
and  thought  that  if  our  old  ancient  undertook  the 
journey  mentioned  in  the  proverb,  his  gallop  would 
be  a  very  quiet  one,  as  he  certainly  looked,  poor  old 
man,  quite  unable  to  travel  fast. 

Going  through  the  town  poor  stupid  old  Major, 
getting  bewildered  by  some  carts  that  were  passing, 
ran  under  the  wheels  of  our  carriage,  and  got  one  of 
the  small  bones  of  his  fore-paw  broken.  It  did  not 
appear  to  pain  him  very  much,  and  it  might  have 
been  worse. 

The  only  pretty  place  near  Coquimbo  is  Compania, 
a  property  belonging  to  Mr.  L.,  a  name  well-known 
on  the  Pacific  station  from  his  excessive  kindness  and 
hospitality.  Plentifully  supplied  with  water,  he  is 
enabled  to  keep  the  land  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
his  house  well  irrigated  ;  and  large  green  fields  of 
lucern,  and  quantities  of  flowers  and  trees,  make  the 
place  a  veritable  oasis  in  the  desert.  His  copper 
works,  though  not  so  extensive  as  those  of  Guayacon, 
were  very  interesting ;  and  we  saw  there  the  process 
of  moulding  bars  or  ingots  from  the  molten  metal, 
which  we  had  missed  at  the  other  establishment. 
He  has  gone  in  largely  for  planting  the  Australian 
Eucalyptus,  which  appears  suited  to  the  climate  and 
grows  well.  It  is  to  be  hoped  he  may  succeed, 
and  that,  prompted  by  his  example,  it  may  soon 
be  extensively  cultivated,  and  banish  in  time  the 
hideous  poplars  which  at  present  disfigure  the 
country. 

Since  going  on  shore  at  Sombrero  Island  the  ship's 


CONDITION  OF  CHILL  123 

bottom  had  not  been  looked  at.  A  diving-dress 
being  available  in  the  Nereus  (the  store-ship  for  the 
station),  her  gunner  went  down  (old  D.,  our  own 
diver,  was  too  big  and  fat  to  get  into  it),  and  after 
examination  reported  a  small  portion  of  the  false 
keel  knocked  off  some  eight  feet  from  the  stern-post, 
and  two  or  three  sheets  of  copper — not  very  serious 
damages,  arid  easily  repaired  \vhen  occasion  offered. 
On  the  20th  of  March  we  left  Coquimbo,  which  was 
the  last  port  in  Chili  we  touched  at. 

From  Lat.  24°  S.  to  Punta  Arenas,  the  coast-line  on 
the  Pacific  belongs  to  this  Republic.  Every  kind  of 
climate  can  be  had  in  their  country,  from  burning 
heat  on  the  northern  deserts  to  the  icy  cold  of  their 
southern  glaciers.  Almost  everything  that  grows  can 
be  produced.  Though  still  in  its  infancy,  property 
is  respected  and  life  cared  for  in  a  manner  very 
unusual  among  South  American  Eepublics.  Her 
leading  men  have  expanded  ideas,  encourage  emigra 
tion,  and  protect  the  foreigner  who  casts  his  lot 
among  them,  offering  in  many  parts  of  the  country 
considerable  inducements  to  settle.  Notwithstanding 
the  diplomacy  of  England  (who  treated  her  exactly 
as  she  did  Denmark  at  her  moment  of  trial),  the 
individual  Englishman  is  rather  liked,  and  his  good 
opinion  courted.  Bigoted  and  intolerant  ,as  is  the 
opposition  of  the  Roman  Catholic  priest,  freedom  of 
religious  worship  and  general  education  of  all  classes 
is  becoming  common.  Railways  are  being  pushed 
into  the  interior,  and  the  vast  mineral  and  agricul 
tural  wealth  of  the  country  is  being  rapidly  developed. 
The  people  are  proud  of  their  country,  which  is 


124  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

always  a  good  sign  in  these  new  lands;  and  they 
have  reason  to  be  so,  which  is  perhaps  better. 
Her  statesmen  are  patriotic  and  incorruptible — 
another  novelty  in  Southern  and  Central  American 
Republics ;  and  on  the  whole,  Chili  is  a  rapidly 
progressing  country,  and  may,  with  every  prospect 
of  its  hopes  being  realised,  look  forward  to  a 
brilliant  future. 


CALLAO.  125 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Callao — Lima — Hotels — Ladies — The  manto  —  Cathedral  —  Pizarro's 
bones — Midnight  funeral — Priestcraft  in  Peru — Frequency  of  murders 
— Fate  of  the  brothers  Gutierrez — Earthquakes — A  bull-fight — 
Bull-baiting — The  Oroya  railway — Highest  point  on  the  line  15,645 
feet  above  the  sea — Aztec  cultivation — Distances  from  Callao  and 
height  above  the  sea  of  the  various  stations  on  the  Oroya  railway — 
Chorrillos — Corruption  of  all  classes  of  government  officials  in  Peru 
— Death  of  Major — Payta — Cross  the  equator — The  Cocos  Islands — • 
Sharks — Turtle-turning  an  naturel. 

ON  the  30th  of  March  we  anchored  in  Callao  Bay, 
formed  by  Callao  Point  and  a  long  spit  that  stretches 
off  from  it  cowards  San  Lorenzo  Island.  A  part  of 
this  spit,  termed  the  "  Whale's  Back/'  just  shows  at 
the  water's  edge,  the  sea  breaking  violently  along 
its  ridge.  Callao  Point  is  low,  and  consists  of  a 
bank  of  small  round  stones.  The  roadstead,  assisted 
by  the  climate  and  prevalent  southerly  winds, 
becomes  a  fine  harbour ;  the  island  of  San  Lorenzo 
protecting  it  from  the  long  swell  from  the  ocean. 
Before  sighting  the  harbour  we  passed  through  a 
large  herd  of  sea-lions,  who  did  not  appear  in  the 
least  alarmed  at  our  presence.  They  reared  their 
huge  bodies  half  out  of  the  water  to  gaze  on  us,  and 
then  continued  their  gambols  with  the  most  perfect 
unconcern. 

Passing  Horradada,  a  curious  rocky  islet  with  a 


126  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

hole  quite  through  it,  we  saw  clouds  of  birds. 
Pelicans,  wide-awakes,  and  sea-gulls  of  every  descrip 
tion  were  in  myriads.  The  rocks  were  white  with 
their  droppings,  and  without  seeing  the  "  Chinchas  " 
one  was  able  to  form  a  tolerable  idea  of  what  a  guano 
island  would  be  like. 

The  town  of  Callao  extends  about  a  mile  along 
the  beach  that  fronts  the  bay.  Some  of  the  houses 
are  fairly  built,  and  it  has  an  excellent  mole  with  a 
well  protected  inner  harbour  for  boats.  The  railway 
station  connecting  it  with  Lima  is  close  to  the 
landing-place,  but  on  the  whole  the  town  is  dirty- 
looking  and  dilapidated,  its  streets  ill-paved,  and 
a  general  neglected  and  seedy  appearance  prevails 
everywhere.  Such  should  not  be  the  case. 
Hundreds  of  large  vessels  engaged  in  the  guano 
trade  are  constantly  here.  The  Pacific  Steam 
Navigation  Company  make  it  the  head-quarters  for 
their  magnificent  fleet  of  vessels.  A  large  export 
trade  in  nitre  and  metals  necessitates  much  shipping, 
so  that  the  harbour  dues  must  be  enormous,  and  the 
money  spent  in  the  town  by  merchant  seamen  alone 
very  considerable. 

Nothing  about  Callao  rendered  a  stay  there 
desirable ;  and  as  Lima,  the  capital  of  Peru,  was 
only  six  miles  off  by  rail,  we  soon  took  our  departure. 
Any  person  having  read  Prescott's  charming  book 
of  the  history  of  the  conquest  of  Peru,  and  the  fate 
of  the  unfortunate  Incas  who  governed  it,  will 
naturally  take  an  interest  in  the  town  of  Lima, 
which  was  founded  by  Pizarro  in  1535.  It  stands 
on  a  plain  at  the  foot  of  a  lofty  range  of  mountains, 


LIMA.  127 

and  through  it  runs  the  river  Rimac,  a  turbulent, 
rapid  stream,  subject  at  seasons  to  considerable  floods. 
The  houses  are  mostly  one-storied,  flat-roofed,  and, 
in  fact,  of  precisely  the  same  style  of  architecture 
as  at  Santiago  or  Valparaiso.  The  Plaza  Mayor, 
Cathedral  of  San  Francisco,  and  the  Alameda  del  Acho, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Rimac,  are  among  the  sights; 
but  the  streets  are  ill-paved  and  dirty,  and  in  no  way 
can  Lima  be  compared  to  either  of  the  Chilian  cities. 

We  put  up  at  the  Gran  Hotel,  in  the  Plaza,  first 
of  all ;  but  shifted  afterwards  to  Hotel  Maury, 
where  Mr.  R.  B.  K,  one  of  the  lieutenants  of  the 
Tenedos,  was  also  staying.  He  had  been  there 
some  time  waiting  for  his  ship  (to  which  he  had 
recently  been  appointed)  to  corne  into  harbour.  He 
knew  most  of  the  Lima  people  worth  knowing,  and 
was  very  good-natured  to  H.  and  myself,  introducing 
us  to  his  friends  and  rendering  our  stay  up  there 
an  exceedingly  pleasant  one.  With  regard  to  the 
hotels,  there  is  little  to  choose  between  any  of  them  ; 
all  alike  being  dirty,  exceedingly  expensive,  and 
cooking  execrable. 

The  quantity  of  solid  meat  got  through  by  a 
Peruvian  in  one  sitting  is  simply  marvellous. 
No  sort  of  an  attempt  at  delicacy  of  cooking  is 
required  to  tempt  his  ravenous  appetite :  solid 
after  solid  disappears  with  extraordinary  celerity, 
until  one  marvels  how  such  a  miserable  under 
sized  little  animal,  as  nine-tenths  of  them  are, 
should  possess  such  Gargantuan  appetites  and  be 
able  to  stow  away  so  much.  The  working  classes 
and  lower  orders  among  the  Peruvians  are  generally 


128  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

a  mixed  breed  called  Mestizos,  and  are  as  ugly  a 
race  as  can  well  be  met  with.  The  pure  bred 
Indians  are  not  bad-looking,  but  the  Lima  ladies  are 
exceedingly  pretty,  and,  as  a  rule,  particularly  well 
dressed  also.  All  classes  of  females  wear  the  manto. 
The  middle  and  poorer  habitually,  and  the  higher 
when  they  go  to  church  or  wish  to  be  unrecognized. 
No  feminine  costume  is  more  charming  than  the 
black  dress  and  manto.  It  is  becoming  to  all  classes, 
whether  rich  or  poor.  A  Peruvian  servant  is  as 
gracefully  dressed  as  her  mistress,  and  looks  some 
hundreds  of  degrees  better  than  any  of  our  own 
female  domestics,  got  up  in  their  mistresses'  cast-off 
finery  or  in  the  cheap  tawdry  imitation  they  delight 
to  stick  on  themselves. 

This  wearing  of  the  manto  gives  the  women  a 
certain  amount  of  licence  not  accorded  in  any  other 
country,  and  as  all  classes  usually  dress  in  black 
devoid  of  ornament,  when  wearing  it  to  recognize 
one's  most  intimate  acquaintance  becomes  almost  an 
impossibility.  Sometimes  half  the  face  is  exposed, 
at  others  but  one  eye.  One  eye  is  often  quite  suffi 
cient  to  do  much  execution,  for  I  doubt  if  anywhere 
are  they  softer  or  more  expressive  than  in  Lima. 

Byron,  in  one  of  his  poems,  makes  a  very  pertinent 
allusion  to  the  peculiar  effects  of  a  sultry  climate. 
Lima  is  only  12°  from  the  equator;  and  absolution, 
where  almost  every  other  man  you  meet  in  the 
streets  is  a  priest,  is  neither  difficult  to  obtain  nor 
costly  to  purchase. 

I  was  disappointed  on  visiting  the  cathedral  to 
find  the  interior  so  tawdry  and  filthy.  A  few 


LIMA.  12D 

paintings,  concealed  under  a  coating  of  dirt,  adorned 
its  principal  altars ;  some  revolting  images  of  our 
Saviour,  covered  in  blood,  were  scattered  about  the 
building;  and  even  poor  Pizarro's  bones,  which  are 
exhibited  to  the  curious  for  a  trifling  douceur,  seemed 
to  have  caught  the  general  infection  and  looked 
more  dirty  than  bones  have  any  right  to  do.  The 
stalls  were  handsome  carvings  in  walnut  wood,  the 
subjects — saints,  prophets,  and  patriarchs ;  but  so 
covered  with  dirt,  that  all  the  delicate  arabesque 
traceries  by  which  they  were  surrounded  were 
completely  hidden.  Considering  the  enormous 
wealth  the  Spaniards  got  out  of  Peru,  they  certainly 
might  have  left  some  more  lasting  monument  of 
their  occupation  than  the  miserable  cathedral  at 
Lima.  The  other  churches,  if  not  absolutely  so 
dirty  as  the  cathedral,  were  far  from  being  clean. 
Funerals  constantly  take  place  after  dark.  I 
followed  one  I  met  in  the  streets  at  about  eleven 
o'clock  at  night,  into  a  neighbouring  church,  and 
watched  the  ceremony.  The  effect  was  theatrical, 
still  impressive.  The  coffin  lay  on  a  raised  marble 
slab ;  the  lofty  arched  roof,  the  dim  light,  the  solemn 
music,  and  the  long  rows  of  white-clothed  priests, 
each  holding  a  lighted  taper,  made  me  feel  quite 
creepy,  so  that  I  was  glad  to  get  out  of  the  holy 
precincts. 

The  priesthood  in  Peru  are  omnipotent:  for  which 
reason  it  is  probably  the  worst  governed  and  most 
miserable  country  in  America;  except  perhaps 
Mexico,  where  the  priests  having  been  allowed  their 
own  way  until  quite  recently,  things  are  much  in 

K 


130  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

the  same  state.  In  exchange  for  this  power,  they 
amuse  the  populace  with  religious  spectacles.  On 
Good  Friday,  an  image  of  our  Saviour  is  placed  on 
an  ass,  and  lead  ahout  the  streets,  accompanied  by  a 
begging-box  of  course.  The  Last  Supper  is  acted  in 
the  cathedral,  a  table  being  spread  with  all  the 
luxuries  in  season.  Images  to  represent  Christ  and 
the  twelve  Apostles  are  seated  round  it,  each  figure 
having  a  cigarette  placed  in  its  mouth,  except  our 
Saviour's,  who  gets  a  capital  cigar.  Judas  is  dressed 
as  a  soldier.  The  populace  gaze  with  holy  fervour 
on  the  pious  scene,  after  which  they  are  turned  out 
and  the  priests  devour  the  banquet. 

Life  and  property  are  equally  unsafe,  and  no  one 
dreams  of  going  out  after  dark  unarmed,  or  riding 
in  the  country  alone.  Shortly  before  our  arrival,  an 
Englishman's  house  was  attacked  while  the  family 
were  at  dinner  ;  several  were  wounded,  but  in  the 
end  they  managed  to  beat  off  their  assailants,  one  of 
whom  was  badly  hit.  His  comrades  carried  him 
some  distance ;  but  finding  themselves  pursued, 
stabbed  the  miserable  wretch,  cut  his  head  off,  and 
took  it  away  with  them.  One  murder  a  day  is 
.about  the  regular  allowance  for  the  town,  and  it  is 
very  rare  indeed  to  hear  of  the  assassin  being  dis 
covered  and  brought  to  justice.  One  man,  Jose 
Chacamago,  or  some  such  name,  whose  photograph 
was  exposed  for  sale  among  other  notorieties  and 
•celebrities  of  Peru,  was  known  to  have  committed 
fourteen  murders ;  and  how  many  more  the  mis 
creant  polished  off  without  detection,  it  would  be 
liard  to  guess.  Affairs  being  in  such  a  condition,  the 


THE  BROTHERS  GUTIERREZ.  131 

country  lives  in  a  state  of  chronic  insurrection. 
The  mob,  as  a  rule  (cowardly,  and  brutal  as  mobs 
always  are),  generally  allow  the  parties  most 
interested  to  fight  it  out  among  themselves,  after 
which  they  join  in  and  finish  off  the  vanquished. 
In  July  1872,  three  brothers  Gutierrez  were  im 
plicated  in  a  rebellion  which  they  appear  to  have 
made  a  complete  hash  of.  The  rnob  waited  very 
quietly  until  there  was  no  doubt  that  the  Gutierrez 
had  lost  the  day,  arid  then  murdered  them  with 
every  description  of  barbarity. 

One  brother  was  shot  at  Callao  while  walking  on 
the  platform  of  the  railway  station.  The  other  two 
brothers  were  seized  while  endeavouring  to  escape 
from  Lima,  dragged  to  the  cathedral,  and  hung  upon 
one  of  the  turrets  over  a  hundred  feet  from  the 
ground.  They  were  then  cut  down,  their  bodies 
being  dashed  on  the  pavement,  after  which  they 
were  burned  in  the  Plaza,  and  portions  of  them  I 
believe  actually  eaten  by  the  rabble.  When  the 
Lima  people  heard  that  a  Gutierrez  had  been  shot  at 
Callao  and  was  buried  there,  they  went  down,  dug 
him  out  of  his  grave,  and  with  every  species  of 
indignity  dragged  him  along  the  road  to  the  capital, 
just  in  time  to  join  his  brothers  for  their  auto 
dafe. 

The  Zoological  Gardens  are  worth  a  visit,  being 
exceedingly  well  kept  and  very  ornamental.  The 
collection  of  beasts  is  poor,  but  the  grounds  being 
more  botanical  than  zoological,  the  deficiency  of 
animal  life  is  made  up  for  by  a  profusion  of  every 
thing  beautiful  in  the  vegetable.  A  magnificent  hall 

K  2 


132  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


for  dancing — it  would  make  a  grand  skating-rink — is 
at  the  entrance,  opening  on  the  gardens,  and  a  hand 
some  building,  sometimes  used  as  an  hotel,  contains  a 
fine  picture  of  the  death  of  the  last  of  the  Incas  ;  a 
scene  which,  with  most  questionable  taste,  is  occa 
sionally  engraved  on  some  of  their  bank-notes. 

Perpetual  revolutions,  corruption  among  all  classes 
of  government  officials  from  the  President  downwards, 
and  an  uncertainty  of  life  quite  bewildering,  are  the 
chief  characteristics  of  the  people.  An  absence  of 
thunder  and  lightning,  arid  a  prevalence  of  earth 
quakes  are  the  most  striking  features  of  the  country. 

A  slight  earthquake  took  place  early  one  morning 
while  I  was  at  Lima ;  but  though  it  awoke  most  of 
the  people,  I  did  not  feel  it.  I  got  so  accustomed  to 
shaking  in  the  liocket,  that  it  would  require  a  very 
rude  shock  to  awake  me  now.  Of  course  the  shocks 
vary  considerably  in  severity ;  but  one  curious  fact 
about  them  is,  that  instead  of  people  getting  accus 
tomed  to  these  unpleasant  visitations,  the  more  they 
feel  the  less  they  like  them,  and  the  oldest  inhabitants 
are  invariably  the  greatest  cowards. 

In  October  1746,  Lima  was  visited  with  a  most 
destructive  earthquake,  on  which  occasion  Callao 
was  suddenly  submerged  by  a  huge  wave  and  com 
pletely  destroyed.  Out  of  4000  people  only  200  are 
said  to  have  escaped. 

The  bull-ring  at  Lima  is  a  very  large  one,  and 
during  the  season  a  fight  takes  place  nearly  every 
Sunday.  The  operations  are  conducted  in  a  manner 
very  similar  to  those  I  have  witnessed  in  Spain,  but 
are  not  quite  so  brutal,  their  horses  being  very  rarely 


A   BULL-FIGHT.  133 


killed ;  whereas,  in  Spain,  the  chief  delight  of  the 
audience  consists  in  seeing  the  wretched  blindfolded 
screws  they  send  to  the  arena  gored  to  death.  I 
remember  seeing  one  bull  at  Algesiras  kill  six  horses 
in  less  than  five  minutes,  amid  the  frantic  plaudits  of 
a  cro\vded  house,  among  whom  were  many  ladies, 
whose  shrill  voices  screamed  "  bravo  toro  "  with  the 
loudest  of  them.  The  bull-fight  we  went  to  at  Lima 
was  given  in  honour  of  General  Prado,  a  candidate 
for  the  presidency ;  and  shortly  after  the  time 
announced  for  the  sports  to  commence,  the  judges 
having  taken  their  seats,  a  flourish  of  trumpets 
announced  that  operations  were  about  to  begin. 

The  performers  first  promenaded  the  arena  and 
made  their  bow  to  the  judges ;  the  parts  of  Picador, 
Banderillero,  Toreador,  and  Matador,  being  similar 
to  those  in  the  mother  country.  They  were  equally 
beautifully  dressed,  their  jackets  being  one  mass  of 
gold  embroidery.  The  gaily  decked  team  of  mules 
for  carrying  out  the  defunct  bulls  was  similar,  but 
there  were  only  t\vo  Toreadors,  instead  of  a  dozen. 
Instead  of  being  on  wretched  screws,  blindfolded  for 
the  attack,  they  were  beautifully  mounted,  and  their 
horses  permitted  to  see ;  and  instead  of  being  armed 
with  lances,  they  only  carried  a  bright-coloured  cloak 
over  their  arm.  Another  feature  in  the  procession 
not  met  with  in  Spain,  were  twelve  bull-dogs,  fan 
tastically  clothed,  and  led  by  niggers  in  rear  of  the 
procession. 

The  cavalcade  having  retired,  the  doors  were  once 
more  opened,  and  the  two  Toreadors  again  making 
their  appearance,  waited  calmly  in  the  centre  of  the 


134  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

ring  for  the  rush  of  the  bull,  who,  mid  a  flourish  of 
trumpets,  shortly  afterwards  dashed  towards  them. 
The  mastery  these  men  had  over  their  horses  was 
simply  wonderful.  Wheeling  round,  as  the  animal 
was  in  the  act  of  charging,  the  man  attacked  dropped 
his  cloak  over  his  horse's  quarter,  holding  it  about 
six  inches  from  him  ;  and  then  just  keeping  it,  not 
certainly  more  than  two  inches  in  front  of  the  bull's 
horns,  galloped  round  the  ring,  the  bull  all  the  time 
tossing  at  the  flag,  and  almost  touching  the  horse ; 
who,  though  snorting  with  alarm,  was  kept  at  this 
exact  distance,  until  in  disgust  master  Toro  ceased 
the  pursuit.  These  men  were  not  padded  like  the 
Spanish  Toreadors,  whose  legs  are  cased  in  steel 
and  leather  (something  like  a  cricketer's  pads),  and 
bandaged  up  to  the  waist,  and  every  instant  the 
bull's  horns  appeared  on  the  point  of  striking  them ; 
but  during  the  entire  day,  though  several  bulls  were 
brought  forward,  not  once  did  any  of  the  horses 
receive  the  slightest  scratch.  This  much  of  their 
bull-fighting  is  without  any  cruelty ;  the  bull  up  to 
this  period  had  not  been  tormented  or  received  a 
tingle  dart;  and  the  man's  sole  defence  lay  in  his 
matchless  horsemanship  and  three  yards  of  coloured 
cloth. 

The  rest  of  the  performance  was  similar  to  those 
of  Spain,  and  it  is  .needless  to  recapitulate  so  well- 
known  and  oft-repeated  a  story.  The  most  brutal 
part  of  the  exhibition  was  reserved  for  the  last.  A 
bull  having  undergone  sufficient  tormenting  to 
make  him  wicked,  was  left  in  possession  of  the 
ring.  His  human  assailants  having  withdrawn,  from 


THE  OEOYA   RAILWAY.  135 

all  sides  of  the  arena  came  racing  up  to  the  wretched 
animal  the  dogs  we  had  seen  in  the  procession,  who 
stuck  literally  all  over  him.  The  bull  appeared 
perfectly  paralyzed,  and  after  the  first  dog  had  seized 
him  did  not  offer  the  slightest  resistance.  The  bull 
dogs  held  on  with  their  usual  tenacity  to  every  part 
of  his  body)  amid  the  frantic  plaudits  of  the  crowd), 
till  at  length,  overcome  with  pain  and  exhaustion,  the 
wretched  beast  fell  to  the  ground,  where  for  some 
minutes  he  lay,  being  eaten  alive,  until  at  last  he 
was  happily  "  pithed  "  by  some  of  the  attendants  and 
put  out  of  his  misery. 

A  more  cruel  and  brutal  sight  I  never  witnessed. 
There  was  nothing  in  it  but  sheer  wanton  barbarity, 
as  the  wretched  bull  never  made  the  slightest  resist 
ance,  or  even  attempted  to  shake  the  dogs  off,  who 
for  some  minutes  after  he  had  fallen  were  simply 
eating  him  alive.  Before  the  dogs  had  succeeded  in 
pulling  the  bull  down,  one  of  the  brutes  in  the  ring 
passed  a  sword  twice  through  the  wretched  animal's 
body,  avoiding  a  vital  spot,  but  causing  sufficient 
hemorrhage  to  reader  the  dogs'  task  of  pulling  him 
down  the  more  easy. 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  no  ladies  were  present, 
and  but  a  small  sprinkling  of  women  belonging  to 
the  lower  classes. 

During  our  visit  to  Lima,  I  got  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  celebrated  Oroya  Railway,  which,  running 
over  a  pass  in  the  Cordillera,  15,645  feet  above  the 
sea,  connects  the  rich  and  fertile  valley  of  the  river 
Amazon  with  the  seaboard  of  Peru.  It  was  con 
structed  by  a  Mr.  M.,  sometime  a  banker  at  San 


136  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

Francisco,  where  he  failed  for  a  very  large  sum  of 
money.  He  is  now  a  kind  of  "Hudson,"  or  "Railway 
King',"  of  Peru,  and  I  believe  made  several  million  of 
dollars  through  the  Oroya  contract.  As  luck  would 
have  it,  N.  heard  that  he  was  taking  a  party  up  the 
line,  and  succeeded  through  one  of  his  friends  in 
getting  us  asked  to  join  them. 

A  regiment  of  red-breeched  warriors  were  washing 
their  clothes  by  the  river-bank  as  we  left  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  by  a  special  train,  and  passing 
up  the  valley  of  the  Rimac,  cultivated  on  each  bank 
with  fields  of  maize  and  sugar-cane,  soon  got  to  the 
foot  of  the  Cordillera.  All  along  this  valley  lay  the 
deserted  towns  and  villages  of  the  Aztecs,  the  extra 
ordinary  dry  climate  still  preserving  their  walls 
intact.  We  halted  for  about  an  hour  at  one  of  the 
stations,  where  we  found  provided  for  us  an  excellent 
breakfast ;  and  after  leaving  this,  the  zigzag  accent 
up  the  mountains  commenced. 

The  difficulty  of  laying  down  a  line  of  rails  across 
the  Cordillera  can  hardly  be  over-estimated,  and  as  a 
great  feat  of  engineering  skill  it  is  undoubtedly  one 
of  the  most  wonderful  in  the  world.  As  a  commercial 
speculation  it  is  as  absurd  as  it  well  can  be,  the  traffic 
being  utterly  insufficient  even  to  keep  the  line  in  re 
pair.  Landslips  constantly  carry  away  great  portions 
of  the  track  ;  people,  owing  to  the  extreme  rarefaction 
of  the  air  at  the  summit,  are  unable  to  remain  there 
beyond  a  very  limited  time ;  and  a  few  years  will 
probably  see  the  entire  line  deserted,  it  being  an 
exceedingly  expensive  one  to  keep  in  repair.  Its 
construction  was  a  government  job,  started  for  the 


AZTEC  CULTIVATION.  137 

purpose  of  robbery,  and  by  all  accounts  it  has  an 
swered  the  purpose  to  perfection,  enabling  the  various 
ministries  to  plunder  their  wretched  country  to  the 
tune  of  millions. 

As  we  travelled  up  the  mountains,  traces  of  the 
ancient  Aztec  cultivation  became  more  apparent.  To 
the  highest  brow  of  many  of  the  hills,  and  for  miles 
along  the  mountain,  lay  the  distinctly  marked  terraces 
which  Prescott  alludes  to  in  his  interesting  account 
of  the  Conquest.  In  layer  above  layer,  like  huge 
steps,  they  covered  entire  mountains ;  and  the  labour 
necessary  for  such  gigantic  farming  must  have  been 
fabulous. 

In  parts  of  southern  China,  where  the  population 
is  greater  to  the  square  acre  than  in  any  other  coun 
try  in  the  world,  and  where  every  inch  of  ground  is 
brought  under  cultivation,  I  had  seen  similar  means 
adopted  for  planting  and  irrigating  the  sides  of  steep 
hills;  and  from  the  knowledge  I  possessed  of  the 
amount  of  labour  requisite  for  such  an  undertaking 
out  there,  could  form  an  approximate  idea  of  what 
the  population  must  have  been  here,  to  have  pro 
duced  the  stupendous  works  I  saw  in  all  directions 
around  rne. 

As  the  ancient  Aztec  cultivation  of  these  moun 
tains  by  means  of  terraces,  greatly  exceeded  in  extent, 
owing  to  their  altitude,  the  similar  method  in  use 
among  the  Chinese  who  are  the  most  thickly  popu 
lated  people  in  the  world,  so  is  it  only  reasonable  to 
suppose  that,  in  the  same  proportion,  the  Aztek  popu 
lation  must  have  exceeded  that  of  the  Chinese ;  in 
which  case,  the  enormous  number  of  two  hundred 


THE  TWO  AMEEICAS. 


millions,  supposed  by  some  authors  to  be  about  the 
population  of  Peru  at  the  time  of  Cortez,  would  not 
be  greatly  out  of  reason.  The  Indian  population 
now  is  under  two  millions.  When  one  remembers 
that  Peru  was  only  discovered  in  1524,  and  con 
quered  in  1536,  it  is  simply  fearful  to  think  of  the 
cruelty  and  oppression  the  Spaniards  must  necessarily 
have  been  guilty  of,  to  have  reduced  so  populous  a 
country  to  its  present  state. 

These  terraces  are  the  chief,  I  may  almost  say  the 
only,  traces  left  of  the  original  possessors  of  the  soil, 
and  they  had  for  me  a  sad  and  mournful  interest,  as 
looking  on  them  I  thought  of  the  many  millions  of 
happy,  peaceful,  and  industrious  Indians  they  helped 
to  support  under  the  mild  rule  of  their  Incas  princes, 
before  Pizarro  and  his  successors,  aided  by  the  Jesuits, 
caused  their  extermination.  With  all  its  benefits, 
Christianity  has  much  to  answer  for;  and  as  foul 
crimes  have  been  perpetrated  in  its  name,  and  by  its 
ministers,  as  ever  disgraced  Mahometanism  or  idola 
try  ;  but  in  all  its  history,  never  was  our  Saviour's 
name  more  prostituted  than  it  was  among  these  un 
fortunate  Aztecs,  who,  under  the  plea  of  conversion, 
their  Christian  conquerors  barbarously  annihilated. 

Shortly  after  starting,  Mr.  M.  presented  us  with  a 
railway  ticket,  to  keep  as  a  souvenir  of  our  trip, 
having  on  it  the  names  of  the  different  stations,  their 
distances  from  Callao,  and  the  height  of  each  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  The  carriage  we  travelled  in 
was  quite  gorgeous,  but  exceedingly  comfortable,  and 
as  we  pursued  our  tortuous  course,  it  was  strange  to 
see  the  line  we  had  to  travel  on  just  over  our  heads, 


CHOBRILLOS. 


while  that  we  had  just  left  lay  equally  plain  below 
us.  The  entrance  to  two  tunnels,  one  exactly  over 
the  other,  looked  very  curious ;  but  it  was  undoubt 
edly  the  most  extraordinary  line  I  ever  travelled  on, 
or  am  ever  likely  to  see  again.  The  Americans  talk 
a  great  deal  of  theirs  over  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
which  at  Sherman,  their  highest  point,  is  eight  thou 
sand  two  hundred  and  forty-two  feet  above  the  sea ; 
a  very  considerable  altitude  certainly,  but  one  which 
sinks  into  insignificance  when  compared  with  the 
highest  point  on  the  Oroya,  namely  the  Tiinel  en  la 
Cima,  fifteen  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty-five  feet 
above  the  ocean,  and  only  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  four  miles  and  a  half  from  Callao,  which  is  at 
its  edge. 

From  time  to  time,  as  we  approached  particularly 
interesting  portions  of  the  line,  the  train  would  stop, 
and  the  passengers  get  out  and  examine  them.  We 
walked  over  a  high  and  spider-like  bridge,  spanning 
a  ravine  about  two  hundred  feet  below  us,  which  was 
of  a  construction  far  more  delicate  in  appearance 
than  anything  I  had  ever  seen  in  Europe.  During 
our  journey,  servants  were  constantly  handing  round 
ices  and  cunning  drinks,  and  a  pleasanter  railway 
trip,  or  a  more  interesting  one,  I  have  never  taken. 

Chorrillos,  a  small  town  on  the  coast,  arid  the 
Brighton  of  Peru,  was  well  worth  a  visit.  During 
the  summer  months  nearly  all  the  better  classes  from 
Lima  go  there  for  sea-bathing  and  promenade  each 
night,  most  wonderfully  attired,  until  past  twelve 
o'clock.  I  went  with  N.  one  evening  after  dinner. 
The  band  was  playing,  and  hundreds  of  well-dressed 


MO  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

ladies  were  strolling  up  and  down  listening  to  its 
strains.  In  the  verandahs,  ladies  might  be  seen 
swinging  in  grass  hammocks,  occasionally  smoking 
cigarettes.  The  rooms  were  brilliantly  lighted,  and 
their  occupants  appeared  to  court  observation,  every 
thing  evidently  being  done  for  effect.  The  effect 
was  however  very  pretty,  and  as  the  Peruvian  ladies 
are  really  good-looking,  one  can  only  feel  grateful  to 
them  for  being  so  fond  of  showing  themselves. 

With  the  exception  of  Havannah,  Lima  is  the 
most  expensive  town  1  was  ever  in.  Everything  is 
extravagant,  and  generally  bad.  The  commonest 
necessaries  of  life  are  terribly  exorbitant;  and  as 
everyone  knows  that  the  country  is  on  the  verge  of 
bankruptcy,  where  all  the  money  comes  from  to  sup 
port  this  wilful  waste  it  is  hard  to  say. 

The  Government,  and  every  official  connected 
with  it,  are  corrupt  to  a  degree  almost  inconceiv 
able.  Always  hard  up  for  money,  they  resort  to  any 
means  to  obtain  it,  and  it  is  not  unusual  for  mer 
chants  to  get  from  Government  as  much  as  thirty 
per  cent,  on  money  advanced  by  them,  through 
taking  advantage  of  the  customs,  and  passing 
goods  to  the  amount  of  their  high  rate  of  interest. 

If  anything  could  thoroughly  disenchant  some  of 
our  Radicals  in  England  with  their  ultra-republican 
proclivities,  it  would  be  a  visit  to  Peru;  and  I 
doubt  if  even  Mr.  Odger,  or  Sir  Charles  Dilke,  would 
stand  the  ordeal.  Our  visit  was  drawing  to  a  close, 
and  after  a  couple  of  days'  dawdling  about  Callao,  a 
wretched  place  to  stay  in,  on  the  8th  of  April  we 
started  for  Payta. 


ENSANGUINED  SEA.  141 

The  day  after  leaving,  we  passed  through  many 
patches  of  discoloured  water  of  various  sizes,  at  times 
only  a  few  hundred  yards  in  diameter,  and  at  others 
extending  for  several  miles,  but  invariably  marked 
by  the  deep  blue  which  immediately  surrounded 
them.  There  was  no  toning  down  or  blending  of 
these  blood-like-coloured  patches  round  their  edges, 
though  occasionally  a  bright  blue  streak  of  clear  water 
would  be  seen  distinctly  passing  through  them. 
We  brought  some  on  board,  and  on  examining  it  in 
a  tumbler  saw  particles  of  apparently  red  dust 
floating  through  it.  \Ye  had  no  microscope,  but  I 
believe  they  were  animalculse.  A  merchant  skipper 
told  me  afterwards  that  whales  were  supposed  to 
feed  on  them.  The  effect  of  sailing  through  this 
ensanguined  sea  was  very  peculiar,  and  I  should 
fancy  that  it  must  have  astonished  the  early  and 
somewhat  superstitious  mariners  considerably,  as  it 
really  seemed  as  though  we  were  steaming  through 
blood. 

We  passed  close  to  Ferrol  Bay,  celebrated  as  being 
a  haunt  and  breeding-place  for  sea-lions.  We  saw 
two  or  three  outside  the  harbour,  but  it  was  getting 
dusk,  and  H.  would  not  go  in. 

N.  visited  it  once,  and  told  me  they  lay  in 
thousands  along  the  beach,  and  were  perfectly  in 
different  to  his  party,  who  walked  about  among 
them  without  causing  the  slightest  alarm. 

Several  were  eighteen  feet  long,  and  had  great 
manes  like  a  lion  ;  from  his  description  the  sight 
must  have  been  one  of  extreme  interest,  and  I  was 
sorry  we  missed  going  into  the  bay. 


142  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

Poor  old  Major,  who  had  quite  recovered  from 
his  accident  at  Ovalle,  about  this  time  began  to 
show  symptoms  of  strange  excitability. 

From  being  the  greatest  possible  friends  with  the 
other  dog  on  board,  he  became  cross  and  snappish, 
and  thrashed  him  whenever  they  met.  At  first  we 
thought  it  was  merely  jealously,  owing  to  Joe  having 
gone  on  shore  by  himself  while  Major's  foot  was  in 
bandages  ;  but  the  poor  fellow  got  from  bad  to  worse, 
and  the  morning  after  we  reached  Payta  died  raving 
mad,  and  was  buried  in  the  harbour. 

Poor  dog !  he  was  a  general  favourite  on  board 
and  had  served  us  well  in  the  Straits. 

Without  him  we  should  not  have  picked  up  a 
quarter  of  the  birds  we  shot,  the  other  animal  being 
utterly  useless,  and  he  deserved  a  better  fate  than  to 
perish  thus  miserably  at  the  most  wretched  hole  of  a 
place  in  Peru. 

Payta  is  situated  on  the  slope  at  the  foot  of  a  hill 
on  the  south-east  side  of  the  bay.  At  a  distance  it 
is  scarcely  visible,  the  houses  built  of  mud  and 
bamboo  being  the  same  colour  as  the  surrounding 
cliffs.  It  is  the  sea-port  for  the  province  of  Puira, 
and  does  a  considerable  export  trade  in  salt.  Petro 
leum  has  recently  been  found  there.  The  necessaries 
of  life,  such  as  meat,  poultry,  fruit,  vegetables,  and 
eggs,  are  reasonable  in  price  and  fairly  good.  The 
mangoes  rival  the  celebrated  kind  at  Bombay,  and 
the  alligator  pears  were  excellent,  both  coming  from 
a  well-watered  valley  sixteen  miles  from  the  port. 
Even  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa,  or  in  Madagascar, 
I  have  never  seen  a  more  miserable  or  more  dirty 


PAYTA.  143 


town  than  Payta.  Not  a  vestige  of  grass  is  to  be 
seen,  and  not  a  single  tree,  or  even  bush,  is  to  be 
met  within  miles.  Many  people  living  in  the  town 
have  positively  never  seen  a  tree,  if  we  except  some 
wretched  daubs  that  are  painted  on  the  walls  of  the 
cemetery.  Tradition  says  they  were  once  painted 
green,  but  the  colour  being  so  attractive  to  the 
donkeys,  they  soon  eat  it  all  off  the  walls ;  so  they 
are  now  exhibited  with  bright  blue  foliage,  arid  red 
trunks,  in  hopes  that  the  more  unnatural  colour  may 
preserve  them.  Over  the  door  is  a  picture  of  our 
Saviour  lying  on  a  bench  after  the  Crucifixion  ;  and 
at  each  side  are  figures  of  Adam  and  Eve,  the  former 
with  a  battle-axe  over  his  shoulder,  and  the  latter 
carrying  a  sickle  and  bundle  of  corn. 

The  population  is  chiefly  Indian,  and  on  going  to 
market  early  one  morning,  I  was  surprised  at  the 
number  of  pretty  girls  I  saw,  several  of  whom  had 
ridden  in  on  mules  from  the  country.  Their  com 
plexion  was  light  bronze,  features  regular,  with  nose 
slightly  inclined  to  be  aquiline  ;  eyes  large  and  soft; 
and  figure,  slight,  well  formed,  and  graceful. 

Considering  Payta  is  only  five  degrees  south  of 
the  equator,  the  climate  is  wonderfully  cool.  A 
light  blanket  is  requisite  in  the  early  morning,  and 
the  temperature  of  the  sea  is  delicious.  Sharks 
seldom  visit  the  harbour,  and  the  bathing  is  the 
nearest  approach  to  perfection  I  have  ever  had ; 
indeed,  there  was  nothing  else  to  do  but  swim  about. 
We  had  a  tremendous  haul  of  the  seine  one  night, 
catching  several  thousands  of  fish  about  the  size  of 
herring.  The  Indians  who  assisted  in  pulling  the 


144  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

net  on  shore  were  given  as  many  as  they  could 
carry;  we  supplied  every  vessel  in  the  harbour;  fed 
the  ship's  company  until  they  were  tired,  and  after 
wards  had  to  throw  overboard  a  couple  of  cartloads 
which  we  could  not  use.  Their  flavour  was  not  bad, 
but  they  were  too  full  of  bones  for  any  person  to 
eat  them  with  comfort.  On  the  20th  of  April  we 
crossed  the  Line,  Long.  84°  15',  and  1  felt  a  certain 
species  of  satisfaction  at  once  more  being  in  my  own 
hemisphere. 

Going  through  the  "  doldrums  "  we  saw  quantities 
of  turtle,  and  lowered  a  boat  to  try  and  pick  some 
up.  They  allowed  the  boat  to  come  right  on  them  ; 
but  the  clever  individual  who  took  on  himself  their 
capture,  merely  poked  the  slumbering  reptile  about 
with  his  boat-hook,  and  Master  Turtle  went  away. 

On  the  24th  we  anchored  in  Chatham  Bay,  Cocos 
Islands,  an  uninhabited  but  beautifully  wooded  and 
picturesque  little  spot,  Lat.  5°  32'  57"  N.,  and  Long. 
86°  58'  22"  W.  The  shores  appear  to  be  composed 
of  broken  perpendicular  rocky  precipices,  beyond 
which  the  surface  rises  unevenly  to  the  summit  of 
the  island.  Near  the  shore  the  jungle  is  composed 
of  small  trees,  thick  undergrowth,  and  a  profusion 
of  vine  or  supple-jack ;  but  in  the  interior,  large 
spreading  trees  and  cocoa-nuts  are  numerous. 
Bright  sparkling  streams  of  deliciously  cool  water 
dash  down  the  mountain  sides,  and  a  profusion  of 
ferns  and  exotic  leaves  line  its  banks.  Wild  goats 
and  pigs  are  on  the  island,  but  the  cover  is  too  thick 
to  get  at  them,  the  only  apparent  way  into  the 
interior  lying  in  the  bed  of  a  watercourse.  Off  the 


COCOS  ISLANDS.  145 


coast  are  several  pretty  little  detached  rocks  arid 
islets,  particularly  on  the  south-west  side  of  the 
island,  where  they  run  off  fully  two  miles.  Colnett, 
who  visited  it  in  1794,  compares  it  in  beauty  of  scenery 
to  Tahiti,  but  without  the  advantages  of  its  climate 
or  hospitality  of  its  inhabitants.  Quantities  of  sea- 
birds  were  flying  about,  many  of  them  pitching  on 
the  rigging  as  we  came  in.  Pretty  little  birds  the 
size  of  pigeons  and  perfectly  white  were  flying  in 
pairs  through  the  woods ;  and  far  above  all,  floated 
stately  frigate  birds,  sailing  in  majestic  circles,  many 
of  them  so  high  up  as  to  resemble  mere  specks  in  the 
firmament. 

With  the  exception  of  parts  of  the  Mozambique 
Channel  and  Port  Royal,  Jamaica,  I  never  saw  a 
harbour  so  full  of  sharks  as  Chatham  Bay.  We 
caught  two  very  large  ones  with  hooks,  and  shot 
several  others,  but  still  the  brutes  kept  swimming 
round  the  ship,  constantly  cutting  the  1'nes  which 
the  men  were  trying  to  catch  small  fish  with. 
Every  variety  seemed  to  have  a  representative :  the 
dreaded  ground-shark  were  the  most  numerous  ;  but 
several  of  their  hammer-headed  brethren  (Squalus 
zygcena)  honoured  us  with  a  visit  also. 

We  left  Cocos  Island  the  same  afternoon,  passing 
through  quantities  of  floating  and  sleeping  turtle.  On 
many  of  their  backs  were  perched  birds,  and  almost 
invariably,  when  a  boat  approached  them,  the  bird 
would  give  three  or  four  sharp  pecks  on  the  turtle's 
back,  to  apprise  him  of  his  danger,  before  flying  off 
themselves.  The  temperature,  which  up  to  the 
equator  had  been  quite  cool  and  pleasant,  at  about 


146  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

5°  north  became  disagreeably  warm,  the  thermo 
meter  constantly  showing  as  much  as  90°  in  the 
shade.  The  sea  was  smooth  as  a  mill-pond,  and  as 
considerable  quantities  of  turtle  still  floated  on  the 
surface,  I  determined  to  try  my  hand  at  catching  one. 
Getting  a  boat  one  afternoon,  and  arming  the 
crew  with  boarding-pikes  to  keep  off  sharks,  a  large 
one  having  been  seen  swimming  round  the  ship  in 
the  morning,  I  took  a  log-line  with  a  running  noose, 
and  set  off;  my  intention  being  to  swim  up  gently  to 
the  sleeping  turtle,  fasten  the  line  round  one  of  his 
back  fins,  and  allow  the  boat's  crew  to  haul  him  in. 
A  turtle  was  soon  sighted  from  the  ship,  and  pulling 
in  the  direction  pointed  out  to  us,  we  saw  his  shell 
shining  above  the  water  as  the  long  gentle  ocean 
swell  caused  him  slowly  to  rise  and  fall.  When 
within  fifty  yards  of  where  he  lay,  the  boat  stopped 
rowing,  and  taking  the  end  of  the  line  between 
my  teeth  I  swam  silently  towards  him,  one  of  the 
boat's  crew  paying  out  rope  to  me  as  I  wanted  it. 
When,  however,  within  a  few  strokes  of  my  still 
sleeping  friend,  he  put  his  head  out  of  water,  looked 
at  me,  and  was  off  before  I  could  reach  him.  It  was 
rather  discouraging  ;  however,  I  determined  to  try 
again,  and  another  and  larger  one  being  soon  dis 
covered,  we  pulled  very  quietly  up,  and  I  resumed 
the  same  tactics.  This  time  I  slipped  extra  noise 
lessly  into  the  water  and  swam  with  the  utmost 
caution,  but  just  as  I  was  getting  the  noose  ready,  up 
ame  the  head  and  down  went  the  turtle.  This  time, 
however,  I  was  not  to  be  done.  Turtle,  though  they 
swim  at  a  fair  pace  when  they  once  get  "  way  on," 


TURTLE  TURNING  "  AU  NATUKEL."          147 

arc  slow  starters ;  and  never  under  any  circum 
stances,  no  matter  how  greatly  alarmed,  do  they  dive 
perpendicularly.  Knowing-  this,  the  instant  I  saw 
his  head  rise  I  threw  away  the  log-line,  and  gave 
way  all  I  knew  after  the  alarmed  and  fast  dis 
appearing  chase.  It  was  pretty  hard  swimming  to 
collar  him,  but  knowing  that  unless  I  got  level  in 
less  than  thirty  strokes  I  might  shut  up,  I  did  all 
I  knew,  and  coming  up  before  he  got  steam  on,  I 
seized  him  by  a  hind-flipper  and  held  on  like  grim 
death.  It  was  a  regular  case  of  "  pull  devil,  pull 
baker,"  the  turtle  doing  his  best  to  get  down,  and 
I  trying  equally  hard  to  prevent  him.  He  was  un 
commonly  lively  arid  kicked  like  mad,  cutting  my 
hands  a  good  deal  with  the  sharp  nails  on  his  fins. 
Once  he  got  my  head  under  water ;  however,  when 
he  did  so  I  managed  to  get  hold  of  his  other  flipper 
with  my  left  hand,  and  succeeded  in  getting  him 
over  on  his  back,  where  I  held  him,  until  the  boat 
coming  up,  hauled  us  both  in  together.  I  caught  a 
smaller  one  by  fair  swimming,  as  from  some  reason 
best  known  to  himself  he  did  not  dive  more  than 
three  feet  below  the  surface.  Starting  at  about 
ten  yards  behind  him,  I  got  level  and  had  his  fin 
in  about  a  minute's  spin,  judging  from  the  time  he 
detected  the  presence  of  an  enemy,  and  succeeded  in 
taking  him  to  the  boat.  It  was  capital  fun,  and  had 
it  not  been  for  the  dread  of  sharks  I  might  have  got 
any  number  of  them.  Nothing  can  be  simpler  or 
more  easy,  and  any  moderate  swimmer,  when  he 
once  learns  the  way,  will  have  no  difficulty  in 
catching  them.  The  great  object  is  to  get  them  on 

L  2 


148  TEE  TWO  AMEEICAS. 

their  backs,  and  this  once  accomplished,  holding 
them  until  the  boat's  crew  come  to  the  rescue  is  easy 
enough.  Occasionally  these  turtle  (  Testudo  carettd) 
are  very  heavy,  weighing  sometimes  as  much  as 
nine  hundred  pounds.  These  were  very  much 
smaller  ;  but  the  buoyancy  of  the  animal  causes  it  to 
float,  and  the  slightest  exertion  prevents  it  sinking 
when  once  turned  over.  Until  this  is  done  the 
fight  is  pretty  equal,  and  the  sole  art  lies  in  quickly 
doing  the  trick. 


ACUPULOO.  149 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

Acupulco  —  Massacre  of  the  Protestant  inhabitants  by  the  fanatic 
Eoman  Catholics— Intolerance  of  the  priests— Pira  de  la  Questa— 
Tickle  an  alligator  with  small  shot— Mexican  cusine —Wild-fowl 
shooting  on  the  lagoon— A  ride  in  the  dark— Manzanilla— A  wild- 
goose  chase— Kill  an  alligator— Fight  between  sharks  and  alligators — 
St.  Bias— Cigars— Magnificent  duck-shooting  on  the  river  Santiago- 
Alligators  and  dogs — Disagreeable  encounter — Mazatlan — Freight 
for  H.M.  ships. 

ON  the  6th  of  May,  we  anchored  in  the  much-abused 
harbour  of  Acupulco,  in  Mexico.  From  the  dif 
ferent  accounts  I  had  read,  as  well  as  from  what 
had  been  told  me,  I  expected  to  find  a  perfect  oven, 
and  was  most  agreeably  surprised  at  discovering  by 
experience  that  it  was  far  cooler  than  it  had  been 
anywhere  since  leaving  the  equator :  the  thermo 
meter  one  morning  before  sun-rise  being  as  low  as 
75°,  while  outside,  it  had  run  as  high  as  94°. 

For  safe  anchorage,  the  harbour  is  unsurpassed  in 
the  world,  and  the  lofty  ranges  of  densely  wooded 
high  volcanic  mountains  render  it  as  beautiful  as  it 
is  secure.  The  bay  is  a  mile  and  a  half  deep,  having 
an  extent  from  east  to  west  of  about  three  miles,  and 
is  perfectly  land-locked,  the  town  lying  on  the  west 
side  of  the  port. 

Acupulco,  though  once  of  some  importance,  has 


150  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

gradually  been  going  down  hill.  Prior  to  its 
occupation  by  the  French,  during  their  late  war 
with  Mexico,  it  almost  enjoyed  the  privilege  of 
a  free  port,  paying  a  reduction  so  considerable  on 
the  imports,  that  the  resident  merchants  were 
enabled  to  do  a  brisk  trade  with  the  interior,  as 
well  as  with  the  capital.  After  the  French  left,  the 
custom-house  duties  wrere  again  enforced,  and  shortly 
afterwards,  the  railway  being  completed  between 
Yera  Cruz  and  Mexico,  all  commerce  went  round  to 
the  other  coast,  and  the  final  death-blow  was  given 
to  Acupuleo.  Everything  in  connection  with  the 
government  of  this  republic  is  managed  by  bribery. 
The  salaries  of  the  officials  are  small,  and  it  is 
distinctly  understood  on  both  sides,  that  any  ap 
pointment  conferred  carries  with  it  the  privilege  of 
extorting  as  much  money  from  the  public  as  ever 
they  can  possibly  screw  out  of  them,  and  whoever 
can  bribe  the  highest  gets  served  the  best.  The 
Yera  Cruz  merchants  manage  this  so  well,  that  they 
are  able  to  land  their  goods,  and  not  only  undersell 
the  towns  on  the  west  coast  up  at  the  city  of  Mexico, 
but  can  also  take  away  all  their  trade  with  the 
small  villages  and  towns  in  their  immediate  neigh 
bourhood.  The  town  of  Acupulco  is  clean,  and  the 
country,  particularly  after  the  arid  hills  and  sandy 
plains  of  northern  Chili  and  Peru,  appeared  a  veri 
table  garden  of  Eden.  Once  more  we  saw  the  grace 
ful  feathery  palm-trees  waving  in  the  breeze ;  the 
verdant  mango  laden  with  its  golden  fruit,  and  the 
broad-leafed  banana  glistening  in  the  sun.  Alligator 
pears,  oranges,  limes,  and  pine-apples  were  abundant 


ITASSACnE  OF  PROTESTANTS.  151 

and  inexpensive,  and  quantities  of  fish  could  be  had 
by  hauling  the  net. 

Shortly  before  our  arrival,  Acupulco  had  been  the 
scene  of  a  shocking  massacre  of  Protestants  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  inhabitants  of  the  place,  while 
the  former  were  engaged  in  Divine  worship  ;  and 
the  ruined  remains  of  the  little  chapel  were  pointed 
out  as  we  passed  them  on  our  way  to  the  old  fortress 
of  San  Diego  castle. 

It  appears  that  a  Protestant  mission,  being 
successful  at  the  capital,  had  determined  on  pushing 
its  way  through  the  country  :  and  there  being  some 
eighty  converts  and  believers  at  Acupulco,  it  was 
determined,  at  their  request,  to  establish  among  them 
a  small  place  of  worship.  Unfortunately  for  the 
success  of  the  undertaking,  the  local  priest,  one  Padre 
Justo  Pastor  Nava,  a  bigoted  and  most  intolerant 
papist,  had  in  this  particular  district  his  cure  of 
souls.  His  notoriety  in  this  respect,  as  being  a 
dangerous  fanatic,  was  so  generally  known,  that  in 
1859  on  being  taken  prisoner  at  a  battle  fought 
against  the  Liberals  at  Casta  Chica,  he  was  tried  by 
General  Alvarez  and  sentenced  to  be  shot.  As  ill- 
luck  would  have  it,  some  influential  friends  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  his  sentence  of  death  commuted 
into  one  of  banishment :  the  temporary  establishment 
of  Maximilian's  empire  brought  him  back  to  Mexico, 
and  the  ordinary  course  of  events  took  him  here. 

On  the  26th  of  January,  while  the  Protestants 
were  at  church,  the  building  was  surrounded  by  a 
mob  armed  with  guns,  and  their  deadly  machetes, 
the  doors  were  forced,  and  men  and  women  pro 


152  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

miscuously  butchered.  Fortunately  some  oi  the 
congregation  had  pistols ;  and  others,  rendered 
desperate  by  their  terrible  emergency,  with  arms 
wrested  from  the  murderers,  and  stools,  forms,  or 
anything  they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  drove  the 
assassins  through  the  doors,  which  they  succeeded  in 
barricading  until  help  arrived,  but  not  before  seven 
men  and  women  killed,  and  ten  others  severely 
wounded,  had  fallen  victims  to  religious  fanaticism. 

The  intolerance  of  what  is  termed  the  priest 
party  in  Mexico  is  beyond  belief  in  these  days  of 
enlightenment  and  freedom  of  religious  opinion. 
Very  many,  indeed  almost  the  majority,  of  the  better 
classes  of  Mexicans  are  in  favour  of  liberty  of  con 
science  for  all  persuasions ;  but  the  unscrupulous- 
ness  and  vindictiveness  of  the  priests  and  their  more 
immediate  followers,  nullify  the  efforts  of  the  en 
lightened  few.  Until  these  bigoted  and  fanatic 
gentry  get  thoroughly  well  trodden  down,  no  peace, 
prosperity,  or  happiness,  wrill  be  possible  for  the 
country. 

I  had  a  long  talk  on  the  subject  with  a  Protestant 
Mexican.  He  was  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  told  me 
that  he  considered  it  almost  certain  that  some  day  he 
would  be  assassinated,  and  that  his  chief  consolation 
lay  in  a  knowledge  that  with  the  weapons  he  carried 
about  him,  unless  completely  surprised,  he  would  at 
any  rate  send  some  half-dozen  of  his  assailants  to 
travel  the  unknown  path  before  him.  I  commended 
his  truly  Christian  spirit ;  advi&ed  him  to  emulate 
Joshua,  David,  Samuel,  and  the  rest  of  the  hard- 
smiting  holy  ones  given  to  us  for  an  example,  to 


PIE  A  DE  LA   QUEST  A.  153 

read  his  Bible,  and  burn  powder  freely  whenever  he 
got  the  chance. 

The  day  after  our  arrival,  H.  and  myself,  getting 
mules  and  a  guide,  started  for  Pira  de  la  Queeta, 
a  small  Indian  village  about  twelve  miles  from 
Acupulco,  and  situated  near  the  extremity  of  a  large 
lagoon,  some  thirty  miles  in  circumference,  which 
we  were  informed  was  full  of  wild  fowl. 

Over  many  a  rough  road,  and  in  many  lands  have 
I  ridden,  but  never  did  I  travel  a  highway  like  unto 
this.  The  path  ran  over  the  mountains  through  a 
thick  forest,  and  more  resembled  the  bed  of  a  water 
course  than  an  actually  connected  route.  Nothing 
but  mules,  whose  cat-like  propensities  enable  them 
to  overcome  apparently  insurmountable  difficulties, 
could  possibly  have  done  the  journey.  In  places  the 
path  was  so  narrow  that  two  of  these  animals  were 
unable  to  pass  abreast,  so  that  one  would  be  obliged 
to  back  into  a  convenient  corner,  or  scramble  up  a 
bank,  to  permit  the  other  to  go  by.  The  forest  was 
dense,  but,  as  it  was  just  prior  to  the  rains,  almost 
leafless,  everything  being  burned  and  parched  up 
except  in  the  valleys  and  bottoms  of  ravines,  where 
running  water  rendered  the  vegetation  luxuriant 
and  flourishing.  This  absence  of  foliage,  though 
detracting  considerably  from  the  beauty  of  the 
forest,  permitted  us  to  view  all  the  better  its 
feathered  denizens,  and  in  few  tropical  countries 
have  I  seen  such  lovely  birds,  or  in  such  numbers, 
as  out  here.  To  classify  or  name  them  would 
require  a  man  to  be  a  perambulating  encyclopaedia 
of  natural  history;  but  among  them  all,  I  was 
most  struck  with  the  number  of  specimens  of  the 


154  TEE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

woodpecker  class,  several  of  which  were  very 
beautiful.  One  in  particular  with  a  blood-red  top 
knot,  which  glittered  vividly  in  the  sun,  I  envied 
much  for  my  fishing-book,  and  regretted  the  guide 
had  my  gun  in  his  possession  nearly  a  mile 
behind. 

As  the  sun  was  setting  we  entered  the  village, 
which  consisted  of  a  few  mud  huts  with  sideless 
roofs,  and,  halting  before  one  of  them,  were  informed 
by  the  guide  that  it  was  to  be  our  quarters  for  the 
night.  It  was  simply  a  roof  of  palm-leaves  over  a 
mud  floor,  there  being  no  kind  of  wall  or  even  screen, 
and  it  formed  the  universal  dormitory  of  men,  women, 
and  children,  pigs  and  poultry,  at  the  principal  hotel 
• — the  Claridge's,  in  fact — of  Pira  la  Questa.  Leaving 
the  proprietress  and  her  numerous  progeny  engaged 
in  hunting  down  an  active-looking  fowl  for  our  even 
ing  repast,  we  rode  to  the  lagoon,  and  giving  the 
guide  our  mules  to  hold,  shot  a  few  of  the  curious- 
looking  aquatic  birds,  which  he  pronounced  to  be 
"  bueno,"  or  good  for  eating,  that  were  feeding  round 
the  banks.  It  was  rapidly  getting  dark,  and  seeing 
at  a  distance  some  birds  that  I  took  to  be  duck,  I 
noiselessly  crept  down  on  them.  To  do  so  I  had  to 
pass  over  a  small  spot  of  white  sand,  concealed,  until 
I  was  on  it,  by  a  clump  of  bushes.  While  still 
silently  watching  the  birds  I  saw  something  move  a 
little  to  my  right,  and  on  turning  round  discovered  a 
huge  alligator,  whom  I  had  almost  cut  off  from  the 
lake.  The  bushes  had  hidden  us  until  absolutely 
face  to  face,  and  he  came  by  me  with  his  teeth  grin 
ning,  and  tail  half  cocked,  in  the  most  unamiable 
frame  of  mind  I  ever  saw  in  one  of  his  tribe. 


TICKLE  AN  ALLIGATOR  WITH  SMALL  SHOT.  155 

Without  intending  it,  I  had  very  nearly  cut  him  off 
from  his  native  element ;  and  though  naturally  a 
cowardly  brute,  feeling  himself  to  a  certain  degree 
cornered,  he  had  evidently  made  up  his  mind  to 
fight.  Not  being  prepared,  with  only  small  shot  in 
my  gun,  for  a  duel  with  the  reptile,  I  stopped  short 
and  gave  him  right  of  way,  and,  as  he  cleared  me  at 
about  two  yards,  let  him  have  both  barrels  behind 
the  shoulder  to  expedite  his  movements,  and  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  him  give  a  jump  into  the  water 
that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  performer  for  the 
"  Grand  National."  They  are  cowardly  brutes,  and, 
though  I  have  been  frequently  in  parts  of  the  world 
they  inhabit,  I  have  never  yet  heard  of  an  instance  of 
a  man  being  attacked  by  one  on  land.  In  the  water 
it  is  different.  A  boy  had,  while  bathing,  been  taken 
down  some  months  since  close  to  this  very  spot,  and 
from  what  I  saw  of  the  lagoon  next  morning,  I  would 
not  have  ventured  a  swim  there  for  untold  gold.  Had 
I  been  a  little  quicker,  and  unintentionally  barred  this 
fellow's  way  to  the  lake,  I  am  quite  certain  he  would 
have  attacked  me,  as  he  must  have  passed  somehow. 
These  creatures  never  take  to  the  jungle,  and,  like 
a  rat  driven  into  a  corner,  he  would  have  been 
obliged  to  fight. 

On  returning  to  the  village  we  found  our  dinner 
nearly  ready ;  bread  and  liquor  we  had  brought  with 
us ;  but  the  hunted  fowl,  new-laid  eggs,  and  hot  tor 
tillas,  formed  no  bad  meal  for  travellers  sharp  set  by 
a  mountain  ride.  After  feeding,  we  visited  some  of 
the  principal  houses  in  the  village,  chaffed  some  of  the 
good-humoured  and  pretty  little  Indian  girls,  and 


156  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

arranged  about  a  canoe  for  the  following  morning. 
We  then  slung  our  grass  hammocks  among  the  mis 
cellaneous  company,  and  wooed  the  drowsy  god  of 
slumber,  our  guide  slinging  his  hammock  up  between 
us,  and  sleeping  with  his  machete  buckled  round  him, 
ready  for  attack  or  defence  at  a  moment's  notice. 
The  machete  is  the  invariable  companion  of  the  poorer 
and  middle  classes  of  Mexicans,  and  the  multiplicity 
of  uses  to  which  it  is  dedicated  are  something  won 
derful  to  the  uninitiated.  With  it  he  clears  the 
tangled  paths  in  the  forest ;  it  helps  to  build  his  hut, 
to  cut  his  firewood,  and  eat  his  dinner ;  he  uses  it  for 
purposes  of  warfare,  and  too  frequently  also  for  pur 
poses  of  assassination.  The  blade  is  broad,  slightly 
curved,  a  little  shorter  than  an  infantry  officer's  regu 
lation  sword,  and  about  twice  as  heavy.  The  handle 
is  generally  made  of  wood,  the  scabbard  leather,  and 
the  edge  invariably  as  keen  as  a  razor.  Occasionally 
the  blades  are  ornamented  with  gold  or  silver,  but  the 
ordinary  machete  is  perfectly  plain. 

Next  morning  we  were  up  before  daylight,  and 
hastened  to  the  banks  of  the  lagoon,  where  according 
to  agreement  we  should  have  found  our  canoe ;  none 
was  forthcoming,  however,  and  not  until  the  sun 
broke  fiercely  on  our  heads,  and  our  patience  was 
completely  exhausted,  did  the  guide  prevail  on  the 
man  who  was  to  have  provided  it,  to  go  in  search  of 
another.  After  a  still  further  considerable  delay,  at 
last  he  arrived,  but  with  a  rickety  conveyance  that 
would  only  hold  one  gun  beside  the  paddler ;  and  H. 
taking  the  canoe,  I  walked  along  the  edge,  and  our 
shooting  commenced. 


WILD-FOWL  SHOOTING   ON  A  LAGOON.        157 

The  place  was  full  of  all  kinds  of  odd-looking  water 
fowl.  Geese,  duck,  teal,  pelicans,  flamingo,  and  spoon 
bills  were  in  hundreds,  and  many  kinds  of  waders 
unknown  to  me ;  in  fact,  such  an  extraordinary 
variety  of  fresh- water  birds  I  had  never  seen  together 
before.  The  ducks  were  particularly  handsome, 
having  bright  bronze  breasts,  which  shone  like  bur 
nished  metal  in  the  sun.  Of  teal  I  shot  several 
varieties,  many  of  them  with  exceedingly  beautiful 
and  brilliant  plumage  ;  but  I  think  among  the  "  queer 
ones"  I  killed,  there  was  none  more  beautiful  in 
plumage  than  the  spoon-bill ;  for  though  his  singular 
and  uncouth  beak  did  not  improve  his  countenance, 
he  had  the  most  lovely  and  delicate  tinge  of  rose- 
colour  through  his  white  feathers  it  is  possible  to 
conceive.  We  had  him  for  dinner  two  days  after 
wards,  and  found  him  excellent.  Not  knowing  a 
quarter  of  the  birds  that  got  up,  and  many  of  them 
being  fishy  and  unfit  for  food,  whenever  one  rose, 
the  guide  would  cry  either  "  bue'no,"  or  "  no  bueno," 
as  it  happened  to  be  fit  or  unfit  for  culinary  pur 
poses  ;  and  so  on  for  nine  miles  along  the  banks, 
sometimes  through  mud,  at  others  through  sand,  and 
at  others  through  jungle  or  water,  did  I  plod  along, 
taking  whatever  was  termed  "  bueno,"  and  occasion 
ally  peppering  an  obtrusive  alligator  when  he  came 
anything  inside  twelve  yards. 

The  heat  was  intense,  and  to  add  to  the  discomfort 
of  walking  the  paths  through  the  jungle  and  man 
grove  swamps  occasionally  bordered  the  edges  of 
the  lake,  and  were  so  thickly  crossed  by  cobwebs,  that 
they  were  perpetually  knocking  off  my  hat,  getting 


158  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

in  my  mouth  and  eyes,  and  at  times  almost  impeded 
my  progress.  I  never  saw  anything  like  them. 
Occasionally  large  forest-trees  were  entirely  covered 
from  top  to  bottom,  and  so  thickly  shrouded,  that  not 
a  leaf  or  twig  could  be  seen  through  its  unnatural- 
looking  winding-sheet.  The  lagoon  seemed  full  of 
fish,  who  were  jumping  in  shoals  all  over  it ;  but  not 
once  during  the  entire  day  did  we  see  a  single  bird 
settle  on  its  surface,  and  from  the  number  of  alligators 
swimming  about,  I  think  they  showed  their  wisdom. 

It  was  capital  sport,  but  precious  hard  work  also, 
and  I  was  just  about  "  played  out/'  when  we  reached 
a  "  ranche,"  where,  after  a  pull  of  cold  water  that 
must  have  somewhat  alarmed  my  constitution,  I 
tumbled  into  a  grass  hammock,  uncommonly  glad  to 
get  out  of  the  burning  sun. 

A  pleasant-featured  young  Mexican  woman,  with 
a  dark-eyed  good-looking  sister,  soon  dispatched 
between  them  one  of  the  many  chickens  running 
about  the  house ;  and  while  the  cazuela  was  prepar 
ing,  they  very  good  naturedly  washed  out  my  shirt, 
lending  me,  ad  interim,  some  embroidered  garment 
of  their  own.  The  rest  of  my  clothes  were  hung  up 
to  dry,  every  stitch  on  me  being  thoroughly  saturated. 
H.  and  the  canoe  soon  after  arrived  ;  and  how  we 
did  enjoy  the  homely  but  excellent  fare  our  hostess 
put  before  us !  Then  caine  pipes  and  a  siesta,  and  a 
couple  of  hours'  rest  saw  us  fit  to  return.  H.  had  got 
enough  of  it,  and  borrowing  a  horse  rode  back  to  the 
village ;  I  returned  in  the  canoe,  and  got  a  good 
many  shots  en  route.  Our  bag  was  a  mixed  one, 
and  consisted  of  the  birds  I  have  already  mentioned, 


A  HIDE  IN  THE  DAEK.  159 

with  several  others  whose  names  we  did  not  know, 
and  four  rabbits.  Wild  duck  and  teal  predominated; 
and  the  guides  could  hardly  stagger  from  the  canoe 
to  the  houses  with  our  united  bag. 

The  sun  was  fast  setting  as  we  left  Pira  la  Questa  on 
our  return  journey,  and  ere  we  reached  the  mountain- 
top  it  was  quite  dark.  Unable  to  see  a  yard  before 
us,  but  knowing  that  we  must  go  on,  I  threw  the  reins 
on  my  mule's  neck,  and,  lighting  a  pipe,  resigned 
myself  implicitly  to  his  sagacity,  not  only  to  find  the 
path,  but  to  avoid  the  obstacles  which  at  every  step 
lay  before  him.  My  confidence  was  not  misplaced. 
With  nose  almost  touching  the  ground,  he  seemed  to 
smell  his  way  along,  and  not  once  during  our  long 
ride  did  he  deviate  for  a  second  from  the  proper 
track,  or  make  a  single  false  step  or  stumble.  The 
sounds  and  strange  cries  during  the  dark  stillness  of 
the  night  were  very  remarkable.  Whether  caused 
by  bird  or  insect  I  could  not  tell ;  but  one  in  parti 
cular,  resembling  the  prolonged  whistle  of  a  loco 
motive  steam-engine,  was  frequently  of  more  than  a 
minute's  duration  without  ceasing,  and  of  such  volume 
and  intensity,  that  unless  I  had  been  aware  of  the 
utter  impossibility  of  a  train  being  within  hundreds 
of  miles,  I  would  have  almost  sworn  to  so  familiar  a 
sound.  The  lights  of  Acupulco  at  last  came  in  sight, 
and  our  animals  soon  after  deposited  us  safely,  after 
a  somewhat  trying  but  very  agreeable  trip. 

The  chief  amusement  of  the  Acupulcites  appears 
to  be  cock-fighting.  On  Sundays  and  feast-days  the 
pit  is  crowded  all  the  afternoon^  and  the  noise  of 
crowing  from  the  warriors  in  waiting  all  round  the 


160  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

building  is  quite  deafening.  I  observed  that  the  men 
never  carried  their  machetes  in  the  cockpit — a  very 
wise  precautionary  measure.  No  women  were  ever 
present.  The  population  of  the  town  is  about  four 
thousand  inhabitants,  chiefly  mixed  breeds,  with  an 
occasional  dash  of  the  nigger.  Very  few  of  its 
people  showed  any  pure  Spanish  descent;  but  on 
the  whole  they  were  fairly  good-looking  and  were 
certainly  very  civil. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  we  left  Acupulco  and  steamed 
quietly  along  the  Mexican  coast  in  sight  of  land  until 
we  reached  Manzanilla  Bay,  on  the  south-east  part  of 
which  are  situated  the  few  wretched  huts  that  con 
stitute  the  village.  The  harbour  is  well  protected 
from  southerly  winds  but  not  from  those  directly  from 
the  westward.  Behind  the  village,  and  only  a  few 
hundred  yards  from  the  sea-beach,  is  a  large  shallow 
lagoon  which  runs  nearly  forty  miles  into  the 
interior,  and  at  the  end  of  the  dry  season  becomes 
almost  empty.  The  exhalations  at  this  time  rising 
from  the  mud  and  stagnant  water  are  most  dreadful, 
and  even  at  our  anchorage  the  stench  during  the 
night  was  almost  unbearable.  How  anything  can 
exist  in  such  a  fetid  atmosphere  is  in  itself  a  puzzle  ; 
but  being  the  port  of  Colima,  a  large  city  of  forty 
thousand  inhabitants,  lying  some  ninety  miles  inland, 
persons  connected  with  the  customs,  and  merchants 
doing  business  with  the  interior,  are  compelled  to 
keep  it  open.  Colima  is,  I  believe,  healthy  enough, 
and  near  it  is  an  active  volcano  a  little  over  12,000 
feet  high,  bearing  the  same  name,  arid  occasionally 
visible  from  the  anchorage. 


MANZANILLA.  161 


About  three  miles  north-west  from  the  harbour, 
across  the  bay,  a  small  brook  is  marked  on  the  charts 
as  a  watering-place.  Immediately  after  anchoring  I 
started  for  it,  the  sailing  directions  having  stated 
that  duck,  geese,  snipe,  and  alligators,  abounded 
there.  The  only  one  of  the  four  mentioned  that  we 
came  across,  was  the  latter,  and  on  inquiring  from 
the  natives,  they  assured  us  that  none  of  the  others 
ever  frequented  the  stream.  There  were,  however, 
several  kinds  of  water-fowl,  which  we  knew  from 
experience  were  tolerably  good  eating,  and  plenty  of 
parrots  and  brilliant-plumnged  birds,  whose  feathers 
were  valuable  for  salmon-flies,  so  that  we  managed 
to  get  plenty  of  shots  at  something,  tl  ough  we  were 
considerably  disappointed  in  our  expectations  con 
cerning  the  duck  and  geese. 

While  thus  innocently  amusing  ourselves,  we  little 
knew  the  excitement  we  were  creating  among  the 
harbour  authorities  at  Manzanilla.  That  people 
should  deliberately  go  out  shooting  in  the  heat  of 
the  sun,  or  move  in  it  at  all  without  some  particularly 
strong  inducement,  was  more  than  Mexican  Custom 
house  officials  could  possibly  conceive ;  and  seeing 
our  boat  put  off  from  the  ship  for  a  distant  part  of 
the  bay,  as  soon  as  we  had  anchored,  they  at  once 
fancied  some  grave  offence  against  the  state  was 
about  to  be  perpetrated,  and  despatched  a  boat  after 
us  in  hot  haste ;  at  the  same  time  sending  eight 
mounted  men  (armed  to  the  teeth)  by  the  coast,  to 
intercept  us  in  that  direction  also.  We  were  quietly 
paddling  about  in  tli6  stream,  intent  on  discovering 
the  whereabouts  of  the  game  mentioned  by  Mr.  Imray 


102  THE  TWO   AMERICAS. 


in  his  book  of  coast  directions  (a  very  wild-goose 
chase  we  found  it),  while  the  excitement  was  going 
on ;  and  before  our  return  to  where  we  left  our  boat, 
the  Mexicans,  by  talking  with  the  crew,  became  aware 
of  the  interesting  fact  that  they  had  found  a  mare's 
nest,  and  of  course  when  we  arrived  concealed  from 
us  the  fact  that  they  suspected  smuggling,  and  had 
actually  planned  our  arrest. 

On  returning  after  the  day's  shooting,  we  saw  a 
strange  boat  lying  near  our  cutter;  her  crew  were 
very  civil  and  gave  us  some  water-melons.  On  the 
way  down  we  had  met  a  couple  of  men  with  two 
revolvers  each,  holding  hordes  with  holsters  on  their 
saddles,  but  they  said  nothing  to  us ;  arid  only  when 
we  returned  on  board  did  we  find  out,  through  the 
American  Consul,  Mr.  J.  H.  D.,  the  excitement  we  had 
been  creating  in  the  quiet  little  village  of  Manzanilla. 

Next  morning,  before  daylight,  we  started  with 
Mr.  D.  across  the  lagoon,  to  a  place  about  an  hour's 
row  from  the  village,  where  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
getting  wild  duck.  The  lake  was  so  shallow  that  our 
boat  often  grounded,  and  the  oars  at  each  stroke  dis 
turbed  the  black  ink-like  mud  that  constituted  the 
bottom.  The  sides  were  beautifully  wooded,  and 
surrounded  by  ranges  of  hills  extending  far  into  the 
interior,  the  edges  of  the  water  being  fringed  by  a 
belt  of  mangrove-trees,  whose  peculiarly  bright  green 
foliage  contrasted  pleasingly  with  the  sombre  colour 
ing  of  the  leafless  trees  behind  them.  The  perfectly 
stagnant  water  was  of  a  light  yellow  tint,  and  as 
full  of  alligators  as  it  could  well  be.  On  reaching 
the  shooting-ground,  large  patches  of  reeds,  scattered 


KILL   AN  ALLIGATOR.  163 

along  the  edges  of  the  lake,  with  fields  of  water-lilies 
and  aquatic  plants  growing  around  them,  we  saw 
several  flocks  of  duck,  as  well  as  spoon-bills,  flamingo, 
pelicans,  jackana,  and  water-fowl  innumerable.  Any 
number  of  small  alligators  were  basking  on  the  thick 
matting  of  weeds,  through  which  the  native  boatmen, 
bare-legged  and  wading  with  the  utmost  indifference 
pushed  our  canoe.  They  did  not  seem  to  care  three 
straws  about  even  the  largest  of  them ;  and  at  last, 
familiarity  breeding  contempt,  we  also  got  over 
our  knees  in  water,  and  waded  about  among  them 
perfectly  unconcerned,  intent  only  on  the  ducks. 

Several  eagles  and  hawks  were  hunting  the  ground 
as  well  as  ourselves,  and  once  on  winging  a  jackana — • 
a  very  beautiful  bird,  with  a  spur  on  each  wing  and 
large  spider-like  claws  peculiarly  adapted  for  en 
abling  their  possessor  to  run  over  the  floating  leaves 
of  the  water-lilies — a  large  and  handsome  eagle 
swooped  down  to  where  I  was  standing,  and  seizing 
on  the  wounded  bird  who  lay  not  fifteen  yards  from 
me,  carried  him  off,  until  a  dose  of  No.  1  shot,  properly 
administered,  reminded  him  somewhat  forcibly  of 
the  laws  of  "  ineum  and  tuum,"  and  he  paid  the 
penalty  of  petty  larceny  with  his  life.  The  boldness 
of  all  the  eagle,  hawk,  kite,  and  vulture  tribe  in 
these  climates  is  quite  remarkable;  and  as  they  are 
never  molested  by  the  natives,  they  are  not  only 
numerous,  but  so  bold  that  they  will  sit  on  a  tree 
without  attempting  to  fly,  though  a  man  passes 
within  ten  yards  of  them.  After  firing  a  good  many 
shots,  and  gathering  a  somewhat  miscellaneous  bag, 
(H.  knocked  over  five  ducks  with  one  barrel),  Mr.  D. 

H  2 


THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


saw  a  large  alligator  asleep  on  some  mud,  lying  half 
in  and  half  out  of  the  water,  and  as  I  was  the  only 
one  of  the  party  who  had  brought  any  hullets,  he 
sent  one  of  the  guides  to  show  me  where  it  lay,  in 
hope  that  I  might  get  a  shot. 

Slowly  and  with  the  greatest  caution,  I  waded 
through  the  water  until  I  got  within  twelve  yards  of 
where  the  "brute  lay,  and  aiming  about  an  inch 
behind  the  eye,  drove  a  bullet  clean  into  his  brain. 
He  gave  a  convulsive  kind  of  shudder  and  lash  with 
his  tail,  and  was,  I  believe,  dead  ;  but  to  make  certain 
I  gave  him  the  second  barrel  at  about  four  yards' 
distance  behind  the  shoulder,  and  then  felt  quite 
confident  that  I  had  indeed  "wound  him  up."  It 
was  some  time  before  we  could  induce  the  natives  to 
assist  in  pulling  him  on  dry  land.  Though  they  do 
not  mind  them  living  and  swimming  about,  they  are 
particularly  careful  of  a  wounded  one,  a  single  sweep 
of  its  powerful  tail,  even  when  mortally  stricken, 
being  known  to  break  both  legs  of  a  man,  like  a 
pipe  stem.  Though  dead  enough  to  all  intents  and 
purposes,  an  alligator,  like  either  a  shark  or  a  turtle, 
will  continue  possessed  of  a  certain  amount  of  vitality 
and  motion  for  a  long  period  after  life  is  really- 
extinct.  This  fellow  was  still  gently  swaying  his 
tail  about  while  we  bent  on  a  rope  to  it,  and,  all  five 
of  us  clapping  on,  soon  hauled  him  to  the  dry  mud 
on  the  bank,  where  we  took  his  length,  opened  his 
jaws,  and  generally  examined  the  formidable-looking 
reptile  at  our  leisure.  He  was  about  fifteen  feet  long 
and  inconceivably  hideous.  The  first  bullet  had 
smashed  a  large  hole  exactly  where  I  aimed,  namely 


FIGHT  BETWEEN  SHARKS  AND  ALLIGATORS.    165 

about  one  inch  behind  the  eye ;  the  skull  seemed 
comparatively  thin  there,  was  unprotected  by  any 
thick  skin,  and  a  large  lump  of  his  brain  was  oozing 
through  the  wound.  The  second  bullet  went  through 
his  heart ;  but  I  am  convinced  that  it  was  unnecessary, 
as  the  first  shot  had  done  all  that  was  needful.  Much 
as  people  have  written  to  the  contrary,  I  am  quite 
satisfied  now  that  an  alligator  is  as  easily  slain  as  a 
rabbit,  if  only  hit  in  the  right  place  ;  and  that  place  is 
not  in  the  eye,  as  is  generally  stated ;  but  on  the  same 
level,  and  from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  behind 
it.  The  brain  in  all  reptiles  lies  rather  far  back  in 
the  head,  joining  almost  to  the  neck.  By  striking 
one  in  the  eye  from  many  positions  it  is  quite  possible 
that  the  brain  may  not  be  touched  at  all ;  while,  if 
the  ball  hits  the  slightest  degree  in  front  of  it  on  the 
creature's  long  ugly  snout,  the  bullet  might  as  well 
be  chucked  in  the  river  for  all  the  harm  it  will  do 
the  alligator.  Unsightly  as  these  gentry  are  the 
Indians  occasionally  eat  them.  The  skins  are  some 
times  tanned;  but  they  smell  so  strong,  it  is  an 
awkward  job  to  handle  them.  During  dry  seasons 
they  collect  in  vast  quantities  in  the  small  pools  still 
left  unevaporated,  and  are  then  killed  in  large 
numbers  for  their  hides,  which  when  tanned  are 
found  serviceable  for  many  purposes.  They  are 
tougher  than  ordinary  leather,  and  resist  water 
better.  Only  the  belly  pieces  are  used. 

Some  few  years  ago,  during  a  very  heavy  rain, 
a  number  of  alligators  got  taken  out  of  the  lake  by 
a  small  river  running  into  the  sea,  which  was  greatly 
flooded.  They  were  immediately  attacked  by  the 


166  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

sharks,  and  a  strange  battle  ensued  between  these 
equally  voracious  monsters,  which  all  the  people  of 
the  village  flocked  out  to  witness.  The  battle  lasted 
all  day,  and  the  noise  of  the  combat  could  be  heard 
half  a  mile  off.  John  Shark  was,  however,  more  at 
home  in  his  native  element  than  his  scaly  antagonist, 
and  eventually  the  alligators  were  all  eaten  up  or 
killed. 

The  chief  exports  of  Manzanilla  are  cedar  and 
ornamental  woods,  any  quantity  of  which  grow  in 
the  forests.  Many  of  these  woods  are  rare,  one  in 
particular,  "  rainbow-wood,"  being  particularly  valu 
able.  Rose-wood,  mahogany,  and  ebony,  are  quite 
common ;  but  the  country  is  so  little  opened  up,  and 
the  inhabitants  are  so  lethargic,  that  hardly  any 
trade  exists.  Colima  coffee  is  celebrated,  but  very 
little  is  grown,  and  the  whole  country  is  gradually 
going  from  bad  to  worse. 

The  seining  party  had  a  pretty  good  haul, 
getting  quite  a  mixed  bag — a  fish,  not  unlike  a 
salmon,  weighing  about  thirty  pounds,  and  a  very 
fine  well-conditioned  turtle,  being  among  the  number. 

Wo  left  Manzanilla  on  the  15th  of  May,  con 
tinuing  our  course  close  to  the  shore  up  to  Cape 
Corrientes.  The  scenery  was  picturesque  and  diver 
sified,  consisting  of  ranges  of  wooded  mountains, 
extending  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  into  the  in 
terior.  Not  one  single  tract  of  flat  or  table-land 
appeared  anywhere,  and  the  whole  of  Mexico  seemed 
nothing  but  a  succession  of  mountains  all  over  the 
country ;  at  any  rate,  for  sixty  miles  or  more 
bordering  the  Pacific. 


ST.   BLAS.  167 


On  the  17th  we  anchored  at  St.  Bias,  a  small 
village  built  near  the  mouths  of  the  River  Santiago. 
It  consists  of  one  street,  a  custom-house,  and  a 
quantity  of  huts  rather  picturesquely  situated  among 
cocoa-nut,  palm,  and  banana  trees.  St.  Bias  is  the 
port  of  Tepee,  a  town  of  some  importance,  with  a 
population  of  20,000  inhabitants,  about  sixty  miles 
inland,  and  does  a  small  export  trade  in  ebony, 
mahogany,  rose- wood, cedar,  india-rubber,  and  tortoise- 
shell  ;  it  also  has  a  cigar  manufactory  belonging  to  a 
Senor  Mardrasso,  which  turns  out  a  very  smokeable 
weed.  They  are  superior  to  those  made  at  Tepee, 
and  although  only  $2  a  hundred,  are  certainly  better 
than  any  cigars  I  have  bought  at  Manilla,  Brazil,  or 
Gibraltar,  all  of  which  places  manufacture  largely. 
In  fact,  the  only  cigar  that  is  superior  to  them  is  the 
genuine  Havannah,  and  that  luxury  few  people  ever 
get  hold  of,  though  they  have  Julian  Alvarez, 
Cabanna,  or  Partegas  stamped  on  the  boxes  they 
smoke  them  from.  Some  years  ago  I  visited 
Havannah,  and  smoked  on  the  premises  of  the 
above-mentioned  celebrated  firms  many  of  their 
different  brands.  1  can  only  say  that  they  were 
very  unlike  the  same  cigar  as  sold  by  most  of  the 
tobacconists  and  at  half  the  clubs  in  London ;  and 
I  do  not  believe  one  man  in  twenty  in  England  has 
ever  had  a  genuine  Cabanna  or  Partegas  even  in 
his  mouth. 

We  were  fortunate  in  meeting  here  a  very  nice 
fellow,  an  American,  who,  having  gone  somewhat 
through  the  role  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  was  doing  his 
husk-feeding  among  the  swine  at  St.  Bias,  prior  to 


168  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

the  execution  of  the  fatted  calf  by  his  relations  in  the 
States,  who  will,  I  believe,  come  to  the  front  when 
they  consider  his  penance  sufficient.  He  was  very 
fond  of  shooting,  and  offered  to  show  us  the  ground 
if  we  liked  to  come  with  him ;  so  taking  our  guns, 
in  the  afternoon  we  did  a  little  pottering  about  the 
settlement,  prior  to  a  longer  expedition  next  morning, 
for  which  we  had  to  make  arrangements.  We  met 
during  our  stroll  a  few  rabbits,  crested  quail,  doves, 
and  parrots ;  but  owing  to  the  cover  being  very 
thick,  and  the  sand-flies  after  sunset  as  active  and 
fierce  as  tigers,  we  did  not  make  much  of  a  hand  at 
them.  The  rabbits  were  well-sized  and  heavy,  and 
the  quail  remarkably  handsome  birds,  about  the  size 
of  young  partridges,  and  carrying  a  small  Princc-of- 
Wales-like  plume  on  the  top  of  their  heads. 

Mr.  F.  having  provided  horses  and  a  guide,  we 
started  next  morning  at  four  o'clock  fur  the  shooting- 
ground,  which  we  imagined,  from  our  guide  Fokia's 
description  the  previous  evening,  to  be  about  five 
or  six  miles  off.  We  rode  along  at  a  brisk  pace  for 
about  an  hour,  arid  then  asked  :  "  How  far  had  we 
to  go  ?"  "  Some  way  !  "  was  the  reply.  In  another 
hour  we  again  ventured  to  inquire,  and  again  re 
ceived  the  like  answer;  and  at  the  end  of  the  third 
hour  could  only  elicit  the  same  information  to  our 
cross-questioning.  Our  horses,  who  were  wretched 
screws,  were  about  this  period  unmistakably  pumped, 
owing  to  our  having,  in  ignorance  of  the  distance, 
pressed  them  somewhat  at  the  commencement  of  our 
journey,  and  we  were  uncommonly  glad  at  hearing 
iron  a  cottager,  whom  we  found  looking  after  a  lot  ot 


DUCK  SHOOTING  ON  THE  RIVER  SANTIAGO.     169 

bee-hives,  that  a  cigarette,  i.  e.9  the  time  taken  to 
smoke  one,  would  bring  us  to  our  destination,  which 
eventually  proved  to  be  about  a  mile  off.  The  entire 
distance,  we  afterwards  learned,  was  twenty-four  miles. 
The  village  which  we  stopped  at  was  called  Autan ; 
and  consisted  of  merely  a  few  detached  huts  built 
near  a  ford  across  the  River  Santiago;  a  mud- 
coloured  stream  about  the  size  of  the  Thames  at 
Richmond.  At  the  best-looking  and  cleanest  of  the 
shanties  we  took  up  our  quarters,  stabled  our  tired 
nags,  prepared  food,  and  made  ourselves  generally 
at  home.  It  is  the  custom  of  the  country,  and  in 
Mexico  a  man  must  do  everything  for  himself.  After 
watering  and  feeding  the  nags,  and  getting  some 
breakfast,  we  set  off,  but  lost  much  time  in  finding 
the  proper  place,  having  been  directed  first  of  all  to 
a  lagoon  at  least  a  mile  out  of  our  road.  On  getting 
there,  a  peasant  told  us  that  though  there  were  lots 
of  duck,  they  were  hard  to  get  at,  as  no  canoes  were 
to  be  had,  and  the  sides  of  the  lake  were  thickly 
coated  with  mangroves,  in  many  places  impenetrable. 
He  strongly  recommended  us  to  try  the  river,  where 
he  declared  them  to  be  in  thousands ;  but  all  through 
the  village,  and  wherever  else  we  inquired,  the  same 
phasing  intelligence  greeted  us,  namely,  that  "  mocho 
patico  "  abounded.  With  some  difficulty  we  secured  a 
couple  of  canoes,  and  at  last  got  fairly  off  on  our 
way  down  the  river;  and  within  ten  minutes  of  the 
time  of  starting  saw  wild  duck  pluming  themselves 
on  the  bank,  and  had  opened  the  ball  by  knocking 
over  a  brace.  The  further  we  went  the  more  we 
saw  of  them,  and  at  last  we  came  to  a  kind  of  shallow 


170  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

spit  in  the  centre  of  the  river,  where  they  literally 
were  in  clouds.  E¥en  in  China — one  of  the  finest 
countries  for  duck-shooting  in  the  world — I  never 
saw  them  in  such  quantities.  They  rose  in  thousands, 
and  though  repeatedly  fired  at,  constantly  returned 
to  the  same  spot. 

There  were  many  varieties,  some  of  them  being 
larger  than  Muscovys,  and  of  almost  black  plumage. 
The  teal  tribe  were  well  represented  by  several 
beautiful  species ;  but  by  far  the  majority  were 
widgeon,  like  those  we  had  shot  at  Manzanilla,  whose 
prevailing  colour  was  an  exquisite  light  bronze. 

That  we  were  to  have  come  in  for  such  sport, 
never  for  a  moment  entered  our  wildest  imagination  ; 
and  though  we  both  brought  some  No.  1  shot,  it 
soon  became  expended,  and  No.  5,  our  other  kind, 
was  too  small.  We  lost  a  number  of  wounded  birds, 
the  alligators  took  a  few  more,  but  we  carried 
home  twenty-nine  couple  and  a  half,  which  was 
pretty  good  work  for  one  afternoon,  firing  chiefly 
with  No.  5,  which  was  not  half  large  enough  for 
the  heaviest  kind  of  duck,  or  for  some  of  the  ranges 
we  often  had  to  take  them  at.  I  am  quite  certain 
that,  had  we  known  our  ground,  had  proper  ammuni 
tion,  and  been  on  it  by  daylight,  we  would  have 
killed  at  least  a  hundred  ducks  each.  Had  we  gone 
at  them  with  duck-guns  we  might  have  loaded  a 


waggon. 


The  country  for  a  considerable  extent  on  each 
bank  consisted  of  large  fields  of  Indian  corn,  in 
which  the  birds  feed  every  night,  and  on  which 
they  get  fat  as  butter,  well-flavoured,  and  deliciously 


ALLIGATORS  AND  DOGS.  171 


tender,  losing  all  fishy  taste  completely.  Their 
crops  wl  en  opened  were  full  of  this  grain,  and  the 
damage  and  loss  they  cause  the  farmer  must  be  very 
considerable.  The  river  was  full  of  alligators,  whose 
ugly  heads  were  to  be  seen  in  all  directions.  Coming 
back,  we  saw  three  large  ones  sleeping  on  a  bank  of 
sand,  about  fifty  yards  off.  I  gave  the  largest  a 
bullet,  but  as  it  evidently  was  not  properly  applied, 
it  merely  caused  him  to  hop  into  the  river  with 
extraordinary  agility  and  quickness,  and  his  slum 
bering  comrades  followed  suit. 

Alligators  are  desperately  fond  of  dogs,  not  with 
the  same  kind  of  love  that  we  bear  for  the  constant 
companion  of  our  wanderings,  but  with  a  carnivorous 
affection,  particularly  unpleasant  for  the  recipient. 
Apropos  of  it,  I  heard  a  story,  to  the  truth  of  which 
several  people  vouched,  but  which  is  still  so  marvel 
lous,  that,  although  I  believe  it  myself,  I  will  not 
ask  anybody  else  to  believe  it  unless  they  please. 

Along  the  banks  of  the  Santiago,  on  each  side, 
are  numerous  little  villages,  and  in  each  village 
are  any  quantity  of  dogs.  Now,  on  certain  occa 
sions,  even  the  most  moral  dogs  become  particularly 
amorous,  and  when  the  fit  is  on  them,  naturally  feel 
desirous  of  visiting  their  kindred  on  the  opposite 
bank.  But  how  to  cross  the  river  ?  Long  acquaint 
ance  with  its  dangers,  and  possibly  experience  handed 
down  from  a  long  line  of  canine  ancestors,  have  made 
them  so  dread  these  yellow  waters,  that  on  ordinary 
occasions  they  dare  hardly  drink,  and  swimming  they 
never  think  of.  Behold  now  the  cunning,  as  well 
as  the  power  of  love.  Half-a-dozen  go  to  the  water's 


172  THE   TYiO  AMERICAS. 

edge  and  commence  howling.  In  a  few  minutes 
some  twenty  fearful  heads  gently  protrude  themselves 
from  the  turbid  depths,  in  eager  expectation  of  their 
prey.  The  curs  slowly  retire  down  the  river,  fol 
lowed  by  the  heads ;  fresh  slimy  figures  join  the  pro 
cession  ;  and  occasionally  going  so  near  the  water  as 
to  tempt  their  enemies,  and  still  keeping  up  their 
music,  they  lead  the  alligators  a  mile  from  home. 
At  this  point  the  dogs  redouble  their  barking,  and 
for  an  hour  render  night  hideous  by  their  constant 
and  incessant  cries.  All  the  alligators  within  reach 
of  the  noise  are  irresistibly  attracted  by  its  (to  them) 
seductive  sounds.  The  river,  opposite  this  nocturnal 
concert,  is  alive  with  excited  caimen ;  and  having 
thus  succeeded  in  obtaining  an  immense  audience, 
the  cunning  dogs  turn  tail,  and  race  like  mad  up  the 
river,  dash  across  the  now  deserted  ford,  and  from 
the  midst  of  their  expectant  companions  chuckle  over 
the  alligators,  who  are  left  to  crawl  up  the  stream 
again  as  best  they  may,  labouring  under  the  pleasant 
conviction  of  having  been  sold. 

One  of  our  boatmen  was  very  clever  at  bringing 
the  canoe  on  birds,  but  was  equally  talented  at  getting 
our  brandy-bottle,  which  he  seized  and  emptied  in  the 
most  barefaced  manner  whenever  he  could  claw  hold 
of  it,  without  so  much  as  saying  "  By  your  leave. " 

On  our  way  out  we  shot  some  chichilaca,  which  we 
had  cooked,  and  found  excellent.  They  are  noisy, 
chattering  birds,  about  the  size  of  an  English  water- 
hen,  but  with  bright  brown  plumage,  and  long  tail, 
like  a  pheasant.  They  inhabit  the  dense  forests  in 
considerable  numbers,  and  are  considered  by  the 


DISAGREEABLE  ENCOUNTER.  173 

Mexicans  a  great  delicacy.  We  had  a  charming 
moonlight  night  for  our  return  ride,  and  reached  St. 
Bias  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  after  a  good 
solid  twenty-four  hours'  work ;  all  day  in  the  sun, 
and  all  night  in  the  saddle,  but  certainly  after  the 
best  day's  duck-shooting  I  ever  had. 

On  arriving  at  the  town,  sounds  of  revelry  and 
music  proceeded  from  a  house  we  were  passing,  be 
fore  which  a  number  of  men  were  lounging  about ; 
one  of  them  gesticulating  frantically  drew  his  re 
volver,  and  stopped  before  my  horse,  which  happened 
to  be  leading.  It  was  rather  startling,  particularly 
with  the  knowledge  that,  of  all  places  in  the  worlJ, 
the  cut-throat  ruffian  exists  to  greater  perfection  in 
Mexico  than  in  any  other  part  of  it.  Having  a  pistol 
handy,  I  instantly  drew  it,  and  was  on  the  point  of 
shooting  the  fellow  down  (which  I  would  have  been 
perfectly  justified  in  doing — nineteen  out  of  twenty 
Americans  would  not  have  hesitated),  when,  fortu 
nately  for  the  Mexican,  Mr.  F.,  who  was  behind,  cried 
out  that  he  was  drunk,  so  keeping  my  revolver  cocked 
I  waited  quietly,  resolving  to  shoot  him  as  quickly 
as  possible  should  he  point  his  pistol  at  me,  trusting 
to  luck  to  get  first  fire. 

The  man,  however,  was  not  drunk,  though  he  might 
have  been  drinking;  he  walked  steadily  enough,  and 
his  speech,  though  loud  and  vociferous,  was  perfectly 
distinct.  To  me  it  mattered  little  which  he  was,  it 
being  quite  as  unpleasant  being  killed  by  a  drunken 
Mexican  as  a  sober  one ;  and  though  wishing  much 
to  avoid  bloodshed,  and  quite  satisfied  with  my  bag 
of  duck,  I  kept  my  finger  on  the  trigger,  arid  watched 


174  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

his  every  movement  as  I  never  watched  man  (but 
once)  before. 

For  about  half  a  minute  we  thus  stood  facing  each 
other,  and  at  last,  much  to  my  satisfaction,  the  brute 
turned  on  his  heel  and  walked  off. 

It  seems  that  the  ruffian  was  a  captain  of  cavalry, 
who  had  that  evening  come  in  on  escort  duty,  and 
had  been  on  the  drink  ever  since.  During  the  night 
he  had  been  firing  off  his  revolver,  much  to  every 
body's  alarm ;  no  one  dare  go  near  or  prevent  him, 
and  virtually  he  had  taken  charge  of  the  town.  The 
fright  every  one  appeared  to  be  in  of  this  exceedingly 
disagreeable  person  was  almost  amusing,  as  one  of 
the  authorities,  who  came  up  shortly  after  this  little 
episode  had  taken  place,  devoutly  exclaimed,  when 
I  told  him  I  was  on  the  point  of  firing,  that  "  he 
wished  to  God  I  had,  as  shooting  would  have  done 
him  good." 

The  amount  of  brigandage,  robbery,  and  murder 
that  goes  on  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of 
St.  Bias  is  simply  dreadful,  and  life  in  Mexico  seems 
quite  a  drug  on  the  market.  I  may.  for  all  I  know, 
have  had  a  close  shave  of  mine  ;  but  I  can  answer  for 
it,  that  my  friend  was  as  close  to  death  that  night  as 
he  had  ever  been.  We  were  not  three  paces  apart; 
I  felt  as  cool  as  a  cucumber ;  and  had  the  muzzle  of 
his  pistol  for  one  second  covered  my  body,  I  should 
have  let  drive  at  him  like  lightning  before  he  could 
have  drawn  the  trigger,  and  H.,  who  was  a  few  yards 
off,  would  have  let  him  have  it  also.  These  brutes 
are  like  vermin,  and  are  generally  treated  as  such, 
being  killed  without  any  mercy  when  they  show  their 


MAZATLAN.  175 


teeth ;  but  my  little  adventure  ending  as  it  did,  I 
cannot  help  feeling  sincerely  thankful  that,  much  as 
he  deserved  shooting,  I  did  not  fire. 

Being  somewhat  short  of  fuel,  and  no  coal  being 
obtainable  in  the  place,  we  bought  twenty  tons  of 
coquito,  or  palm-nuts,  from  a  German  Jew,  who  con 
siderately  charged  us,  we  afterwards  discovered,  five 
times  its  market  price.  This  fellow  proved  himself 
an  exceedingly  sharp  practitioner,  as  just  when  we 
were  leaving  harbour, — indeed,  we  were  under  weigh 
at  the  time, — he  came  alongside  with  a  log  of  rose 
wood,  which  the  first  lieutenant  had  ordered  for  ship 
adornments,  but  which  turned  out  on  examination 
by  the  carpenter  to  be  only  mahogany,  and  of 
course  not  a  quarter  of  the  value  of  the  money  paid 
for  it,  We  left  St.  Bias  on  the  19th  of  May,  and 
reached  Mazatlan  the  following  day. 

Mazatlan  is  by  far  the  most  important,  as  well  as 
the  largest,  town  on  this  side  of  the  Mexican  coast 
line.  Some  of  the  houses  are  well  built;  it  has  a 
considerable  population,  and  is  the  outlet  for  the  pro 
ducts  of  the  valuable  mining  district  of  St.  Sebastian. 
The  town  is  fairly  healthy,  being  built  on  the  crest 
of  some  heights  clear  of  mangrove  and  swamp.  It 
is  comparatively  clean,  and  has  a  good  hotel,  where 
we  managed  to  get  a  decently  cooked  dinner. 

On  Sunday  and  Thursday  evenings  a  military  band 
plays  in  the  square,  and  until  eleven  at  night  the 
fair  damsels  of  the  period  promenade  to  its  enlivening 
strains.  The  river,  bearing  the  Same  name,  is  about 
a  third  of  a  mile  wide  at  the  entrance,  and  about 
twenty  miles  from  its  mouth  lies  old  Mazatlan,  well 


176  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

known  to  ancient  navigators  as  far  back  as  1587, 
when  "  Master  Thomas  Cavendish  in  the  talle  shippe 
Desire,  refreshed  his  gallant  company  before  cruizing 
off  Cape  Lucas  for  a  Spanish  galleon."  There  was 
no  shooting  to  be  had,  the  wild  fowl  having  all 
migrated,  and  I  felt  the  five  days  we  remained 
here,  waiting  for  a  chance  of  "  freight,"  hang  very 
heavy  on  my  hands,  having  nothing  whatever  to  do. 

Apropos  of  freight,  I  cannot  help  feeling  that  the 
action  taken  by  England  in  this  matter  is  both 
cowardly  and  disgraceful.  With  the  laws  of  Mexico, 
whether  they  be  right  or  wrong,  just  or  unjust,  we 
have  nothing  whatever  to  do ;  and  permitting  H.M. 
vessels  to  engage  even  surreptitiously  in  smuggling, 
is  certainly  not  acting  up  to  the  high  tone  of  moral 
policy  which,  in  public,  our  statesmen  are  so  fond 
of  vaunting  as  the  leading  characteristic  of  English 
diplomacy'. 

With  a  view  to  prohibit  the  enormous  and  con 
tinual  drain  of  bullion  from  the  country,  the  Mexicans 
have  placed  the  crushing  impost  of  nine  per  cent,  on 
all  silver  leaving  their  shores ;  to  avoid  this  the 
people  having  dollars  or  bars  which  they  wish 
shipped,  smuggle  them  on  board  our  men-of-war, 
which — our  diplomatic  relations  with  the  country 
having  long  ceased — seem  to  cruise  in  Mexican 
waters  for  no  other  purpose  than  that  of  aiding  and 
abetting  the  subjects  and  residents  in  the  country  to 
break  her  laws. 

That  nine  per  cent,  is  an  arbitrary  and  unjust  tax, 
I  do  not  for  a  minute  attempt  to  deny ;  but  that  her 
Majesty's  ships  should  be  mixed  up  with  smuggling, 


FREIGHT  FOft  EM.   SHIPS.  177 

the  officer  in  command  having  a  direct  monetary  in 
terest  in  the  transaction,  I  consider  still  move  arbi 
trary,  unjust,  and  disgraceful  on  the  part  of  England. 

What  should  we  say,  if  German  or  French  vessels* 
of-war  systematically  engnged  in  traffic  in  contraband 
on  our  own  coasts  ?  Or  dare  we  attempt  the  same 
game  with  any  nation  as  powerful  as  ourselves  ?  We 
certainly  have  a  kind  of  precedent  for  our  conduct 
in  encouraging  the  people  of  foreign  countries  to 
break  their  excise  laws,  inasmuch  as  for  many  years 
we  protected  opium  smuggling  in  China ;  but  I  am 
unaware  of  any  instance  in  which  we  have  so  acted 
with  regard  to  any  country  able  to  hold  her  own,  or 
defend  her  constitution. 

No  people  in  the  world  are  more  apt  to  brag  of 
their  national  character  for  honesty  and  justice  than 
ourselves.  We  thrash  the  Chinese,  Japanese,  and 
Abyssinians,  on  the  smallest  provocation ;  we  go 
frantic  with  delight  at  the  great  military  achieve 
ment  of  a  well-armed  and  disciplined  force  licking  a 
few  miserable  niggers  in  Ashantee ;  yet  we  let  our 
councils  pass  unheeded  in  Europe,  sneak  out  of  our 
defensive  treaties  with  Demark — (how  bitterly  now 
must  France  regret  her  conduct  in  that  affair), — and 
submit  to  many  a  cousinly  kick  from  America. 
Truly  we  have  a  deal  to  be  proud  of;  but,  I  take  it, 
more  so  of  the  past  than  the  present.  Our  foreign 
policy  for  nearly  the  last  twenty  years  is  enough  to 
make  any  person  with  the  slightest  spark  of  honour 
in  his  composition,  who  takes  the  trouble  to  think  on 
the  matter  at  all,  perfectly  sick  with  disgust. 

On  the  24th  of  May  we  left  Mazatlan,  and  next 

N 


178  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

morning  saw  a  most  remarkable  and  interesting  sight. 
On  going  on  deck  I  found  the  ship  in  the  midst  of  a 
huge  shoal  of  porpoises,  who  were  performing  the 
most  extraordinary  antics  I  had  ever  yet  seen  that 
agile  but  otherwise  sedate  animal  go  through.  Not 
content  with  taking  unusual  and  terrific  bounds  out 
of  the  water,  they  varied  the  entertainment  by  oc 
casionally  turning  complete  somersaults  ;  while,  at 
other  times,  they  leaed  perpendicularly  from  the 
ocean,  their  entire  bodies  shivering  like  a  fresh-hooked 
spring  salmon,  or  a  lively  sea-trout  on  first  feeling 
steel.  Occasionally  some  thousands  of  them  would 
form  line,  wheel,  and  change  front,  with  military  pre 
cision,  charging  occasionally  in  perfect  order.  The 
cause  of  all  this  commotion  was  an  immense  school  of 
small  fish  who  had  the  misfortune  to  fall  in  the  way 
of  the  porpoises,  and  who  were  now  having  a  par 
ticularly  hot  time  of  it.  While  these  relentless 
enemies  pursued  them  in  the  depths  and  pushed 
them  towards  the  surface,  thousands  of  birds  had 
congregated  over  the  animated  scene,  and  were 
swooping  down  on  the  luckless  fish,  who  in  avoiding 
Scylla  perished  on  Charybdis.  All  manner  of  birds 
seemed  present ;  and,  above  all,  soared  the  graceful 
frigate-bird,  a  predatory  and  rapacious  gull,  whose 
stretch  of  wing  almost  equals  that  of  an  albatross  ; 
but  who,  disdaining  to  work  for  himself,  chiefly 
exists  by  plundering  others.  This  game  lasted  for 
hours;  and  as  we  passed  away  in  the  distance, 
•the  occasional  plunges  just  faintly  visible  on  the 
horizon  showed  -that  the  work  of  death  was  still 
'Continued. 


ISLANDS  OF  CERROS  AND  NATIVIDAD.      179 

Next  day  we  sighted  Cape  St.  Lucas.  We  here 
met  a  stiffish  head-wind,  and  from  this  point  com 
menced  the  only  miserable  period  of  our  long  cruise 
from  England ;  for  I  honestly  confess  that  the  next 
five  weeks  were  the  most  irksome  I  ever  passed  on 
board  ship.  We  ran  out  of  coal,  and  had  to  beat  up 
under  sail,  making  occasionally  twenty  miles  on  our 
course  in  one  day,  only  to  find  ourselves  the  next 
thirty  farther  off.  The  coast-line  was  uninteresting 
and  desolate.  Barren,  rugged,  arid  mountains  of 
volcanic  formation,  devoid  of  the  smallest  particle  of 
verdure,  was  the  character  of  the  only  land  we  ever 
gaw,  and  my  cruising  off  Lower  California  will  long 
be  remembered  only  as  a  species  of  hideous  nightmare. 
The  coast  was  misplaced  on  the  chart,  and  as  our 
chronometers  were  several  miles  out  also,  our  track 
occasionally  showed  us  as  being  from  ten  to  twenty 
miles  inland.  Shortly  we  ran  out  of  beer  and  all 
fresh  provisions,  and  the  ship's  company  had  to 
go  on  half-allowance  of  bread,  with  every  prospect 
of  its  being  still  further  reduced;  so,  what  with 
one  thing  and  another,  everyone  felt  thoroughly 
disgusted. 

On  the  9th  of  June  we  passed  the  islands  of  Cerros 
and  Natividad.  The  former  is  twenty  miles  long, 
and  consists  of  a  succession  of  high  and  abrupt 
mountain  peaks,  ranging  up  to  2500  feet.  A  few 
pine-trees  are  on  some  of  the  highest  of  these  sharp 
ridges,  but  net  a  blade  of  grass  or  other  sign  of 
vegetation  is  visible.  Indications  of  quartz  rock  and 
copper  abounded,  and  many  of  the  southern  slopes 
presented  a  dark  red  hue,  interspersed  with  high 

N  2 


180  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

variegated  cliffs,  perfectly  devoid  of  the  smallest 
particle  of  green.  About  this  locality  we  saw 
numerous  whales,  and  indeed  for  several  days  we 
seemed  to  be  passed  by  incessant  schools  of  them. 
Many  rose  within  a  few  feet  of  the  ship,  and 
watching,  these  huge  monsters — for  they  were  of  the 
very  largest  size  I  ever  saw — sport  about,  gambol 
and  blow,  helped  to  relieve  our  monotony,  and 
gave  us  something  besides  our  own  bad  luck  to 
talk  about. 

On  the  16th  we  passed  Guadeloupe,  an  island 
about  fifteen  miles  long  by  five  broad,  and  containing 
a  range  of  mountains  varying  from  2000  to  3412 
feet  in  elevation.  On  the  south  side  of  the  island 
are  two  reeky  islets  at  some  distance  from  the  shore, 
the  outermost  of  which  presents  a  bare  face  of  cliff 
500  feet  high.  On  the  northern  extremity  there  is, 
in  comparison  to  the  rest  of  the  coast  in  the  imme 
diate  vicinity,  a  considerable  growth  of  timber.  The 
island  is  uninhabited.  I  noticed  two  very  perfect 
craters  of  an  extinct  volcano.  The  cones  were  still 
marked  by  streaks  of  lava,  and  deep  indentations 
at  the  apex  showed  that  at  some  not  very  remote 
period  it  must  have  been  in  a  state  of  action.  The 
slopes  of  the  mountains  were  gradual  and  very 
different  from  the  abrupt  formations  on  Cerros. 

A  day  or  so  after  leaving  Guadeloupe  we  were 
followed  for  many  miles  by  a  very  beautiful  little  eeal, 
who  was  quite  alone.  At  night  he  made  several  efforts 
to  corne  into  the  ship,  arid  often  rose  to  smell  the 
hands  that  were  extended  towards  him.  We  lowered 
a  grating  and  made  several  efforts  to  assist  our  little 


INEFFECTIVE  GUN-BOATS.  181 

friend  on  board,  but  without  success;  and  at  last, 
though  evidently  reluctantly,  he  left  us,  but  I  cannot 
help  thinking  he  must  have  been  some  tame  seal  got 
adrift,  as  such  perfect  confidence  I  never  witnessed 
before.  About  this  time  we  were  really  hard  up. 
Biscuit  all  gone,  except  two  days'  half-rations ;  water 
allowanced ;  coal  only  sufficient  to  anchor  by ;  and 
everything  else  equally  short ;  so  on  the  28th  we 
sent  the  cutter  to  beat  and  pull  up  to  San  Diego  (a 
distance  of  a  hundred  miles)  and  get  us  assistance. 
After  she  left  we  had  a  slice  of  luck,  and  succeeded 
in  making  port  on  the  last  day  of  June  (just  as  the 
boat  was  coming  out  of  harbour  again  to  meet  us), 
after  having  been  over  five  weeks  doing  the  wretched 
little  distance  of  one  thousand  miles. 

This  brings  my  wanderings  by  sea  to  a  close. 
Owing  to  the  incredible  time  of  eight  months  which 
the  Rocket  had  taken  in  reaching  San  Diego,  my 
object  in  going  to  Vancouver  had  been  entirely 
frustrated.  Knowing  something  about  ships  and 
average  passages,  in  talking  the  matter  over  nt  my 
club  with  H.,  prior  to  leaving  England,  we  both 
allowed,  with  every  possible  margin  for  delays,  and 
taking  into  due  consideration  the  character  of  craft 
she  belonged  to,  that  six  months  was  the  very  longest 
time  we  could  possibly  be  in  reaching  Esquimault. 
Had  our  deductions  been  right,  our  arrival  would 
have  been  on  the  4th  of  April — almost  a  pity  it  was 
not  the  1st,  as  it  would  have  rendered  the  sell  more 
complete ;  but  even  then  we  both  expected  to  have 
arrived  sooner,  and  only  allowed  six  months  as  being 
the  extreme  limit. 


182  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


My  intention  was  to  have  fished  during  the 
eumrner  months  in  the  various  rivers  of  Vancouver, 
British  Columbia,  and  Alaska ;  however,  "  L'homme 
propose  et  Dieu  dispose"  and  to  attempt  doing  all  I 
had  intended,  particularly  as  I  wished  to  penetrate 
as  far  north  as  possible  in  the  new  possessions  of  the 
United  States,  would  have  been,  so  late  in  the  season, 
simple  folly. 

To  pretend  indifference  would  be  absurd.  Pas 
sionately  fond  of  salmon-fishing,  it  was  at  the  time 
a  bitter  disappointment ;  and  if  I  mentally  blessed 
the  designer  of  such  a  piece  of  rubbish  as  the  Rocket, 
it  is  only  what  he  deserves. 

His  answer,  I  know,  would  be,  "  She  is  only 
intended  for  river  work,  not  ocean  passages." 

I  have  been  in  her  in  river  work,  and  she  is  not 
fit  for  it.  In  the  river  La  Plata,  H.  lost  his  hand 
kerchief  overboard,  and  she  took  half  an  hour 
cruising  about  the  harbour,  on  a  perfectly  fine  day,  in 
her  endeavours  to  get  round  to  pick  up  a  boat  which 
had  looked  for  it.  The  scene  was  somewhat  ludi 
crous.  H.,  in  taking  off  his  cap,  dropped  overboard  a 
handkerchief  which  was  in  it,  and  a  merchant-skipper's 
boat  happening  to  be  near  at  the  time,  he  hailed  her 
to  drop  astern  and  pick  it  up,  promising  in  return  to 
give  him  a  tow.  Down  went  the  helm — scrunch, 
scrunch,  went  the  starboard  screw  to  get  the  old 
beast  round  —  and  away  goes  the  good-natured 
skipper  to  look  for  the  lost  rag.  After  a  short 
e<  arch,  the  handkerchief,  which  has  been  floating 
tranquilly  astern,  goes  down,  and  the  skipper  again 
turns  his  boat's  head  towards  his  own  ship.  Scrunch, 


INEFFECTIVE  GUNBOATS.  183 

scrunch,  still  go  the  Rocket's  screws,  as  H.  again 
sings  out,  "  I  am  coming  to  pick  you  up  !  "  So  appa 
rently  was  Christmas.  The  skipper  held  up  his  hand, 
the  recognised  sign  among  seafaring  men  of  having 
heard  and  understood,  hut  continues  at  a  slow 
leisurely  stroke  on  his  way  to  his  own  ship.  Away 
we  go  all  over  the  harhour  wildly  endeavouring  to 
get  round,  a  very  slight  wind  and  a  two-knot  tide 
completely  humbugging  us.  Perseverance  is  how 
ever  ultimately  crowned  with  success ;  hut  as  we  pass 
the  skipper's  ship,  we  see  him  on  the  quarter-deck, 
and  his  boat  already  at  the  davits.  "  I  was  coming  to 
tow  you  up,"  shouts  H.  The  silent  skipper  smiles, 

and   again  raises  his  hand.     "  D n  it,"  says  H. 

turning  to  me,  "if  the  fellow  had  only  waited,  I'd 
have  towed  him  up." 

All  through  the  Straits  of  Magellan  and  Smyth's 
Channel,  where  the  sea,  owing  to  its  tortuous  course, 
narrow  passages,  and  high  protecting  mountains,  is 
far  smoother  than  three-fourths  of  the  navigable 
rivers  in  the  world,  she  behaved  equally  badly,  and 
took  five  weeks  in  doing  a  distance  performed  by  th 
ordinary  mail  steamers  in  five  days.  In  a  dead  calm 
but  with  a  little  swell  against  her,  she  could  never 
go  beyond  three  knots.  Under  sail,  her  leeway 
was  something  incredible,  and  nothing  but  a  perfect 
gale  on  her  quarter  ever  induced  her  to  go  over 
five  knots.  A  battering  charge  from  the  7-inch 
gun  invariably  tore  up  everything  about  it,  nor  do 
I  consider  it  possible  that  any  number  of  shots  in 
the  event  of  bombardment  could  be  fired  from  her  in 
rapid  succession.  Looking,  therefore,  at  her  in  every 


184  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

possible  light,  her  class  is  a  rank  failure ;  and  it  is 
much  to  be  regretted  that  a  class  of  vessel  which 
almost  above  all  others  is  most  necessary  to  the 
service  in  time  of  war,  should  be  merely  represented 
by  the  miserable  failures  which  are  at  present  the 
only  kind  we  possess. 


CONCERNING  "  UNIVERSAL  SUFFRAGE."     185 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Deductions  concerning  "universal  suffrage"  in  South  America  and 
Mexico— How  they  apply  to  England— Deductions  concerning  priest 
craft  in  South  America  and  Mexico— How  it  applies  to  England- 
San  Diego  —  Los  Angeles  —  Californian  wine  —  Quail  —  Ground- 
squirrels— Californian  driving— Sold— San  Francisco— Expectoration 
—Peculiarities— of  dress— The  4th  of  July— Socla  Springs,  Siskiyou 
Co. — Headwaters  of  the  Sacramento— Salmon-fishing  extraordinary 
— Hea  Iwaters  of  the  McLeod— Dolly  Varden  trout— Watching  a  deer- 
lick — Night-watch  for  a  bear — A  game  salmon — Railway  companies 
and  guns. 

INDEPENDENT  of  the  mere  interest  inseparably  at 
tached  to  visiting  strange  countries,  much  is  to  be 
learned  from  observing  their  manners  and  customs, 
and,  I  take  it,  few  lessons  are  more  beneficial  than 
the  one  gained  by  travel. 

Shooting,  fishing,  and  becoming  acquainted  with 
nature  in  its  grandest  and  most  exquisite  features, 
ore  strong  inducements  to  most  men ;  but  to  enjoy 
these  the  traveller  has  to  sojourn  in  many  lands, 
peopled  by  strange  races,  and  living  under  laws 
widely  different  from  his  own.  By  mixing  freely 
with  these  people,  putting  all  narrow  prejudices 
entirely  aside,  and  by  endeavouring  as  far  as  pos 
sible  to  blend  and  amalgamate  with  those  around, 
a  stranger  invites  confidence,  and  learns  their  civil 


186  THE   TWO  AMEEICAS. 

and  religious  state,  as  well  as  renders  himself  more 
welcome  by  the  delicate  and  judicious  flattery  imper 
ceptibly  conveyed  by  endeavouring  to  adopt  their 
habits. 

By  these  means  I  picked  up  a  good  deal  of  inform 
ation  in  South  America  and  Mexico,  which,  added  to 
what  I  actually  saw,  enabled  me  to  arrive  at  satis 
factory  deductions  concerning  many  things  not  quite 
patent  to  me  on  leaving  England ;  and,  at  the  risk 
of  being  considered  a  bore,  I  shall  endeavour,  in 
as  few  words  as  possible,  to  put  these  conclusions 
before  my  reader. 

For  some  years  past  there  has  been  a  steady 
growth  of  what  I  call  "  Republican,"  and  others 
term  "  Liberal,"  ideas  in  England ;  and  many  advo 
cates  have  sprung  up  who  have  freely  given  vent 
in  public,  with  an  exuberance  somewhat  contagious, 
to  certain  wild  fantasies  which  have  been  eagerly 
grasped  at  by  the  uneducated  or  idle.  Of  all  these 
partisan  cries,  I  know  of  none  more  mischievous  than 
the  one  for  "  universal  suffrage,"  or,  in  still  plainer 
English,  the  government  of  the  ignorant  upon  the 
principle  of  being  the  most  numerous. 

The  extension  of  the  franchise  has  done  mischief 
enough,  and  is  rendered  none  the  less  obnoxious 
for  having  been  helped  through  Parliament  by  a 
Conservative  ministry  ;  but  "  universal  suffrage "  is 
an  evil  which  at  any  rate  may  be  prevented,  and 
having  lately  observed  its  workings  in  all  the 
principal  Republics  of  South  America,  the  chief 
countries  in  the  world  where  it  is  most  in  vogue,  I 
think  I  may  be  permitted  to  state  what  I  have 


CONCERNING  "UNIVERSAL  SUFFRAGE."      187 

seen  in  connexion  with  its  many  and  most  notorious 
evils. 

1  commence  with  Uruguay,  it  being  the  first  of 
these  so-called  "  free  countries "  I  went  to.  The 
result  of  universal  suffrage  there  may  be  summed 
up  very  shortly.  Everyone  was  discontented.  The 
men  selected  for  holding  the  reins  of  office  were 
invariably  those  who  bribed  highest,  and,  when  once 
chosen,  as  invariably  repaid  themselves  out  of  the 
public  treasury  for  the  expenses  of  their  election,  with 
a  considerable  bonus  to  boot.  The  country  was  in  a 
state  of  bankruptcy,  and  revolutions  were  incessant. 
No  foreigner  bad  the  slightest  guarantee  for  the 
safety  of  either  his  life  or  his  property,  and  the 
government  for  the  time  being  was  almost  despotic. 
A  few  months  after  I  left  it,  Monte  Yideo  was  in 
a  state  of  siege,  and  such,  without  entering  into  a 
lengthy  dissertation,  are  a  few  of  the  chief  charac 
teristics  of  "  universal  suffrage "  in  Uruguay.  In 
Buenos  Ayres,  the  neighbouring  state,  things  are 
equally  bad,  and  they  were,  at  the  time  I  am 
speaking  of,  in  an  active  state  of  absolute  revolution, 
and  busily  engaged  in  cutting  one  another's  throats. 

In  Chili  affairs  are  managed  better,  but  chiefly 
owing  to  the  accident  which  has  placed  efficient  men 
at  the  head  of  the  government.  Were  incapables, 
armed  with  the  powers  conveyed  to  the  rulers 
of  this  republic,  in  possession  of  the  reins  of  office, 
instant  revolution  would  be  the  result ;  and  I  much 
doubt  if  the  most  ardent  admirer  of  republican  insti 
tutions  in  England  would  approve  of  some  of  the 
arbitrary  acts  of  government  alluded  to  by  me 


138  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

already,  in  givirg  an  account  of  Valparaiso  and  its 
surroundings. 

This  strength  of  government,  judiciously  exercised, 
is  the  one  only  thing  among  republican  institutions 
that  I  at  all  admire — the  power  as  well  as  the  will 
to  curb  sedition  r.nd  check  a  mob.  Strange  as  it  may 
appear,  all  the  republican  governments  that  I  have 
ever  seen  have  invariably  held  the  people  in  control 
by  a  firmness  of  administration,  mingled  occasionally 
with  a  little  judicious  (or  injudicious)  blood-letting, 
that  too  plainly  shows  of  itself  the  necessity  for  there 
being  strong  measures  always  in  immediate  readiness 
for  the  "universal  suffrage  "  gentry  when  they  over 
step  the  bounds  of  prudence,  and  which  my  reader 
may  be  quite  certain  would  be  equally  necessary  at 
home  if  such  a  measure  ever  became  law. 

The  republic  of  Peru  is  in  a  worse  state  than  either 
Uruguay  or  the  Argentine  confederation.  Mis 
appropriation  of  the  public  funds,  corruptness  of 
the  ministry  and  all  classes  of  government  officials, 
and  a  fearful  prevalence  of  unpunished  assassination, 
are  its  chief  characteristics  —  none  of  them  very 
favourable  as  exponents  of  the  benefits  to  be  derived 
from  an  extended  franchise. 

Bolivia,  Ecuador,  and  Central  America,  present 
pretty  nearly  the  same  features ;  but  the  entire  system 
culminates  in  Mexico,  where  universal  corruptness  of 
government,  combined  with  individual  dishonesty 
and  lack  of  all  honourable  feelings,  again  points  out 
the  miserable  effects  of  a  "universal  suffrage,"  ter 
minating  in  universal  misery. 

What  good,  I  should  like  to  know,  has  the 'already 


HOW  IT  APPLIES  TO  ENGLAND.  189 

extended  franchise  done  our  country.  I  could  point 
to  many  counties  and  boroughs  in  England  and 
Scotland  which  would  certainly  be  better  represented 
without  it,  while  in  Ireland  it  has  ended  in  a  perfect 
fiasco. 

The  absurdity  of  giving  a  man  a  thing  he  does  not 
want,  and  has  no  use  for,  ought  to  be  patent  to  the 
meanest  comprehension ;  yet  the  great  bulk  of  voters 
brought  in  by  the  Reform  Bill  neither  wanted  a  vote, 
or  (bribery  being  pretty  well  checked)  had  any  use  for 
it.  A  lot  of  unscrupulous  agitators  make  the  "  great 
unwashed  "  inflammatory  speeches,  endeavouring  to 
persuade  them  that  the  country  is  going  to  the  dogs, 
because  they  do  not  take  an  active  part  in  the  elec 
tions,  and  endeavour  to  show  them,  according  to  their 
own  lights,  the  difference  between  Conservative  and 
Liberal. 

This  political  education  of  the  masses  is,  however, 
not  quilj  disinterested.  The  first  object  of  a  man 
who  has  a  thing  he  does  not  want,  is  to  get  rid  of  it ; 
but  with  these  newly  created  voters,  the  difficulty  is 
how.  Of  course  they  would  prefer  selling  ;  but  not 
always  finding  a  market,  they  naturally  say,  "  So- 
and-so  got  us  this  thing  ;  it  is  of  no  use,  as  we  cannot 
make  an  honest  penny  by  it,  so  we'll  just  vote  as  he 
tells  us."  But  as  for  using  any  personal  discretion 
in  the  exercise  of  their  newly  acquired  rights,  they 
care  far  too  little  about  the  matter  to  do  so,  unless 
indeed  some  person  cornes  for  ward  who  promises 
them  impossible  and  outrageous  concessions,  when 
they  generally  vote  for  him. 

This  latter  case  in  a  country  where  the  govern- 


190  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

ment  of  the  ignorant  upon  the  principle  of  being  the 
most  numerous,  is  the  law,  is  the  great  danger  to  be 
feared,  and  is  the  one  creative  of  so  many  evils  in  the 
South  American  republics  already  alluded  to.  So* 
also  in  England,  the  masses  of  the  people,  being  in 
numerical  preponderance,  and  comprising  the  least- 
educated  or  entirely  ignorant  of  the  population,  are 
always  liable,  like  their  prototype  in  South  America, 
to  be  influenced  by  false  and  seductive  promises ; 
and  in  giving  such  people  a  vote,  one  is  arming 
them  with  a  dangerous  weapon,  which,  like  a  loaded 
firearm  in  the  hands  of  an  inexperienced  child,  is 
liable  at  any  moment  to  explode,  and  possibly  injure 
their  truest  friend. 

In  a  country  where  universal  suffrage  obtains,  a 
candidate  for  election  must  be  prepared  to  flatter 
and  laud  the  fools  he  intends  gulling.  Accommo 
dating  himself  to  his  audience,  he  appeals  to  their 
vanity  and  not  their  judgment,  their  passions  and 
not  their  reason ;  and  he  who  can  lie  most  freely 
as  to  the  transcendent  abilities  of  the  "great  un 
washed,"  has  the  strongest  chance  of  being  selected 
for  their  representative.  With  ministers  taken  from 
such  an  elected  Parliament,  what  has  a  country  to 
look  for,  save  dishonour  and  disgrace  ?  Their  sole 
object  in  the  first  place  being  to  obtain  office  for 
the  emoluments  it  confers,  they  eventually  become 
subservient  to  their  tools  to  retain  it ;  and  the 
masses,  instead  of  being  elevated  in  the  scale  of  in 
telligence  by  the  exercise  of  political  power,  are 
lowered  by  the  delusion  and  craft  to  which  they 
become  the  willing  victims. 


DEDUCTIONS  CONCERNING  PRIESTCRAFT.    191 

As  a  rule,  the  Irish  uneducated  voter  is  in  favour 
of  some  avowed  rebel  disguised  in  the  flimsy  garni 
ture  of  "  Home  Rule,"  but  in  case  of  doubt  generally 
goes  to  his  priest  for  advice,  and  a  very  particularly 
nice  lot  they  usually  return  ;  so,  on  the  whole,  I  don't 
think  the  country  has  gained  much  by  an  extended 
franchise. 

How  very  few  people  who  advocate  extreme 
Liberal  views  know  anything  about  the  working  of 
their  ideas  except  in  theory !  Half  of  them  have 
never  been  out  of  England,  and  nine-tenths  never 
beyond  Europe ;  and  yet  they  talk  as  confidently, 
and  lay  down  the  law  as  plainly,  in  support  of  their 
principles,  as  if  they  had  from  personal  super 
vision  made  themselves  acquainted  with  the  interior 
economy  of  every  republic  that  exists. 

With  the  exception  of  the  United  States  (who 
have,  after  all,  very  little  to  brag  about)  and  Switzer 
land,  those  governments  based  on  the  principle  of 
universal  suffrage  have  been  proved  an  utter  failure, 
and,  having  so  very  lately  travelled  in  most  of  them, 
I  consider  myself  justified  in  pointing  out  a  few 
of  the  evils  that  exist,  with  a  distant  hope  of 
inducing  people  holding  these  views  to  inquire  for 
themselves  how  the  countries  where  the}T  are 
actually  in  play  get  on,  and  to  learn  also  how 
far  republican  institutions,  or  what  some  more 
modestly  term  "  extreme  liberal  "  ones,  would  add 
to  the  happiness,  prosperity,  and  freedom  of 
England. 

Next  to  the  decided  failure  of  universal  suffrage 
in  the  countries  I  visited,  I  was  most  struck  with  the 


192  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

rapid  decline  of  the  sacerdotal  power  of  the  Romish 
priesthood.  In  Peru  they  still  manage  to  hold 
their  ground,  chiefly  owing  to  the  influence  they 
possess  over  women  and  Indians.  A  strong  feeling 
is  however  growing  against  them,  and  a  very  few 
years  will  see  their  position  alter.  Chili,  while 
preserving  its  religion,  has  entirely  freed  itself  from 
priestly  trammels. 

Uruguay  and  most  of  the  other  republics  have 
followed  suit,  and  even  Mexico,  degraded  and  cor 
rupt  as  she  is,  makes  at  any  rate  from  time  to  time 
spasmodic  efforts  to  shake  off  the  yoke  of  bigotry  and 
superstition  that  for  so  many  years  has  sapped  and 
undermined  her  energies,  and  now  neither  monas 
teries  nor  nunneries  are  to  be  found  throughout  the 
country. 

It  is  impossible  for  anyone  reading  the  early 
history  of  these  republics,  and  visiting  them  after 
wards,  to  avoid  attributing  their  present  deplorable 
condition  to  the  government  and  teaching  of  the 
priests,  who  for  so  many  years  held  unbridled  sway 
and  were  quite  omnipotent. 

In  making  these  statements,  I  wish  it  to  be  dis 
tinctly  understood  that  I  am  not  urging  a  crusade 
against  their  religion,  and  that  I  would  not  willingly 
say  one  single  disrespectful  word  that  could  wound 
any  person  belonging  to  it.  All  the  South  American 
republics  are  as  much  Catholic  now,  and  as  likely  to 
continue  so,  as  they  ever  were;  eo  are  the  Italians 
and  other  Catholic  nations  in  Europe  ;  but,  after  long 
experience,  they  have  determined  to  check  the  pal 
pable  evil  influences  of  its  teachers  with  regard  to 


HOW  THEY  APPLY  TO  ENGLAND.  193 

their  perpetual  interference  in  secular  matters,  to 
suppress  both  monasteries  and  nunneries  in  every 
part  of  their  kingdom,  and  prevent  an  undue 
monopoly  by  the  sacerdotal  power.  That  is  all  I 
would  wTish  done  at  home. 

Prior  to  the  Reformation  we  suffered  under  the 
curse  of  priestcraft,  and  very  wisely  made  a  clean 
sweep,  such  as  all  sensible  nations  are  doing  now; 
but  why  we  should  let  things  get  quietly  back  to  their 
old  standing — and  they  very  quietly  are, — is  more 
than  I  can  understand.  At  the  present  moment  I 
firmly  believe  there  are  more  monasteries  and  nun 
neries  in  Great  Britain  arid  Ireland,  than  in  every 
other  Roman  Catholic  country  in  Europe  put  to 
gether.  Surely  the  present  condition  of  Ireland,  the 
most  utterly  priest-ridden  country  in  the  world,  is 
sufficient  warning  to  us  of  the  danger  of  such  a 
policy.  Yet  notwithstanding  all  this,  and  in  spite 
of  the  example  we  have  set  us  by  every  Roman 
Catholic  country  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  a  man  in 
England  holding  my  views  on  the  subject,  is,  by 
the  greater  number  of  its  inhabitants,  either  looked 
upon  as  a  bigot  or  ridiculed  as  a  fool. 

Having  sufficiently  bored  my  reader,  and  relieved 
my  own  feelings,  by  abusing  universal  suffrage  and 
priestcraft  in  South  America  and  Mexico,  I  can  now 
start  fairly  on  my  travels  over  new  ground.  In 
dependent  of  slow  progression,  I  had  enjoyed  my 
trip  in  the  Rocket  up  to  this  date  well  enough : 
time  had  rarely  hung  heavily  on  my  hands ;  but 
nothing  to  eat  and  nothing  to  drink  for  the  last 
month,  with  every  prospect  of  just  such  another  fate 
continually  overtaking  one,  was  too  much  for  the 

O 


194  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

delicate  state  of  my  nervous  system,  so,  soon  after 
anchoring,  I  cleared  out,  and,  wishing  my  late  com 
panions  "  Bon  voyage^'  performed  the  rest  of  my 
wanderings  by  land  alone. 

San  Diego  was  originally  an  old  mission  settled 
by  the  Jesuits  as  far  back  as  1769.  As  a  harbour  it 
is  almost  perfection.  The  climate  is  exceedingly 
fine,  the  thermometer  never  falling  below  45°  in  the 
winter,  or  rising  above  85°  in  the  summer.  Should 
it  ever  become  the  western  terminus  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad,  its  rise  in  importance  will  be  rapid 
and  certain  ;  at  present  it  is  merely  a  sanitary  resort 
for  the  delicate  and  consumptive,  and  its  inhabitants 
can  merely  speculate  on  what  may  result  when 
the  all-hoped-for  railroad  meets  them.  It  is  only 
fourteen  miles  from  the  Mexican  frontier ;  and 
from  the  Horton  House,  a  most  comfortable  and 
well-conducted  hotel,  stage  lines  run  in  all  direc 
tions. 

The  lions  of  San  Diego  were  soon  visited,  and 
the  same  evening  witnessed  my  departure  for  Los 
Angeles,  the  chief  town  of  the  county  of  the  same 
name,  and  the  principal  seat  for  all  branches  of  the 
wine  trade  in  California. 

We  left  San  Diego  at  seven  in  the  evening,  and 
travelled  during  the  night  over  as  bad  a  road  as  it 
is  almost  possible  to  imagine.  Deep  fissures  on  each 
side,  caused  by  the  sudden  and  heavy  rains  in  wet 
weather  acting  on  a  kiln-dried  and  friable  soil,  some 
times  became  perfect  ravines.  Occasionally  we  drove 
along  the  edge  of  a  canon  some  thousand  feet  deep, 
with  the  road  so  constructed  that  the  off-wheels  must 
pass  within  six  inches  of  certain  death.  At  others, 


LOS  ANGELES.  195 


we  descended  places  where  the  horses  were  almost  on 
their  haunches  the  whole  way,  and  the  severe  drag 
on  the  wheels  almost  powerless  to  hold  us.  However, 
it  was  nothing  particularly  out  of  the  way  for 
California,  and  after  a  time  I  got  sufficiently  recon 
ciled  to  my  situation  to  be  able  to  look  about  me, 
and  rather  enjoyed  hanging  from  my  outside  seat 
over  the  brink  of  a  caTion,  and  gazing  on  the 
diminished  objects  right  beneath  rne. 

At  about  eleven  the  next  morning  we  got  to  San 
Juan,  another  of  the  old  Jesuit  mission- towns,  where 
portions  of  the  stone  and  adobe  church  were  still 
visible.  On  our  way  we  passed  some  magnificent 
"  ranches " — one  I  remember  in  particular  as  be 
longing  to  an  Englishman  called  F.,  which  was  over 
eighty  thousand  acres  in  extent,  fully  stocked  with 
cattle,  and  beautifully  situated  on  a  level  plain  at 
the  foot  of  the  coast  range  of  mountains  facing  the 
sea.  At  6.30  P.M.  we  reached  Anaheim,  a  small 
town,  from  which  a  two  hours'  railway  trip  brought 
us  to  Los  Angeles,  after  twenty-four  hours'  driving 
over  the  most  dangerous  roads  I  ever  saw.  The 
coachman,  like  most  other  far-western  Americans, 
was  well  informed,  and  had  gone  through  the  usual 
amount  of  hair-breadth  escapes  from  Indians  that  all 
these  early  settlers  are  so  fond  of  talking  about. 
The  day  was  fine,  the  weather  warm,  the  atmosphere 
clear,  and  I  enjoyed  greatly  my  long  drive,  the 
complete  pleasure  of  which  was  only  marred  by 
a  blackguard  at  the  principal  hotel  in  Anaheim 
stealing  my  favourite  umbrella,  after  having  in 
vain  endeavoured  to  make  me  late  for  the  train. 

The   country   in   the  immediate  vicinity    of  Los 


106  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

Angeles  is  highly  cultivated  and  productive.  Corn, 
grapes,  olives,  oranges,  castor-oil  beans,  and  I  know 
not  how  many  more  fruits  or  vegetables  are  to  be 
had  in  the  greatest  abundance.  The  population  of 
the  town  is  about  thirteen  thousand,  and  it  is  situated 
on  the  Los  Angeles  river,  twenty-three  miles  from 
the  port  of  San  Piedro.  Los  Angeles  is  the  chief 
seat  of  the  wine  trade,  and  as  most  Californians 
are  exceedingly  proud  of  their  supposed  ability  to 
produce  a  marketable  vintage,  and  as  they  talk  a 
great  deal  about  wines,  and  know  almost  nothing, 
I  may  as  well  warn  my  reader  against  forming 
pleasing  anticipations  of  good  or  cheap  drinking 
when  he  visits  their  country.  Having  heard  Cali 
fornians  speak  so  rapturously  of  their  wines,  and 
having  from  experience  discovered  the  excellent 
quality  of  many  cheap  and  unmarketable  vintages  in 
France,  Spain,  and  Italy,  as  well  as  Madeira  and 
1he  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which  are  never  seen  in 
England,  I  was  quite  prepared  to  be  delighted  with 
the  native  wines  here,  and  was  doomed  to  be  disap 
pointed.  During  my  journey  through  California, 
(which  afterwards  extended  from  the  Mexican 
frontier  to  within  a  few  miles  of  Oregon),  I  never 
once  tasted  a  commonly  decent  glass  of  wine. 
Hardly  anything  was  ever  sold  under  a  dollar  a 
bottle,  and  though  I  martyred  myself  in  tasting  it 
on  every  possible  occasion  in  hopes  of  something 
wonderful  at  last  turning  up,  I  never  once  came 
across  even  a  moderately  good  specimen  through 
out  the  entire  State. 

Several    enormous  vineyards  are  in  this  district, 
but  none  of  the  grapes  being  ripe,  and  the  season 


CALIFOENIAN  WINE.  197 

of  the  year  being  unfavourable  for  witnessing  any 
thing  connected  with  the  working  of  this  particular 
branch  of  industry,  I  determined  to  push  on  for  San 
Francisco,  so  as  to  arrive  there  in  time  to  witness 
the  patriotism  invariably  displayed  by  our  American 
cousins  on  the  4th  of  July,  the  anniversary  of  their 
independence. 

The  beginning  of  the  journey  having  to  be  per 
formed  by  rail,  it  necessitated  a  start  at  3  A.M.;  a 
most  inconvenient,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  unusual, 
hour  for  commencing  a  trip,  but  one  which  was  in 
this  instance  quite  unavoidable,  no  other  way  being 
available  during  the  day.  At  4.30  A.M.  we  met  the 
stage,  and  after  an  excellent  breakfast  we  were 
packed  inside  and  outside  as  close  as  herrings  in  a 
box,  and  commenced  our  journey. 

The  first  portion  of  our  drive  was  quite  delightful. 
The  morning  air  was  keen  enough  to  render  an  over 
coat  desirable ;  the  scenery  up  the  mountain-pass — 
Turner's,  I  think,  they  call  it  —  was  very  beautiful ; 
and  the  team,  consisting  of  six  horses  in  admirable 
condition  and  full  of  go,  rendered  the  whole  thing 
exhilarating  and  delightful.  From  the  time  of  start 
ing  until  past  one  in  the  afternoon,  we  were  occupied 
in  reaching  the  summit  of  the  hills,  after  which,  for 
several  hours,  we  passed  through  a  perfect  desert. 
On  leaving  Lake  Elizabeth,  the  dust  became  unbear 
able.  Huge  whirlwinds,  over  a  hundred  feet  high, 
traversed  the  parched  and  sandy  plain,  and  clouds  of 
red  dirt  obscured  all  things  from  our  vision,  and 
penetrated  to  the  inmost  recesses  of  our  wearing 
apparel.  After  passing  the  desert,  a  complete  change 
came  over  the  aspect  of  the  country,  and  the  hills, 


198  TEE   TWO  AMEEICAS. 

which  since  leaving  San  Diego  had  been  quite  devoid 
of  trees,  now  became  covered  with  handsome  forests, 
the  pine,  oak,  fir,  and  ilex  predominating. 

The  country  seemed  alive  with  quail  (Ortyx 
Californica,  Auduboii),  and  I  constantly  saw  at  least 
a  couple  of  hundred  birds  in  one  bevy.  These  birds 
are  about  twice  the  size  of  the  European  quail,  have 
a  darker  plumage,  and  are  crested.  A  worse  bird 
for  the  table  I  have  seldom  tasted,  as  they  are  dry 
and  flavourless  to  a  degree  ;  but  they  afford  very  fair 
sport,  and  are  certainly  a  pretty  bird  to  look  at. 
Cotton-tail  and  jackass  rabbits  abounded,  and  on  the 
plains  we  saw  the  coyote  (Canis  latrans),  a  kind  of 
prairie  wolf,  thousands  of  ground-squirrels,  and  a  few 
deer.  The  ground-squirrel,  or  chipmunk  (Tamias 
striatus),  is  a  curious,  lively  little  animal,  found  in 
great  quantities  over  the  western  parts  of  the  States. 
From  San  Diego  to  Oregon  they  abound.  I  was 
often  amused  by  their  quick,  singular  movements, 
and  the  extraordinary  curiosity,  which,  quite  over 
coming  their  natural  timidity,  frequently  induced 
them  to  jump  upon  a  log  or  again  leave  their  holes 
after  having  been  thoroughly  frightened.  They  are 
about  ten  inches  from  end  of  tail  to  snout,  of  a  light- 
yellowish  brown,  darker  anteriorly,  and  on  the  thighs 
toning  into  chestnut.  The  under-parts  are  white, 
and  on  the  body  are  five  distinct  black  stripes,  one 
dorsal  and  two  on  each  side.  Grizzly  bears  I  heard  of. 
The  old  Yaqueros,  or  California!!  gaucho,  constantly 
lassoed  them ;  but  there  are  not  many  left,  and  what 
few  there  are  have  it  pretty  much  their  own  way, 
everyone  treating  them  with  much  respect. 

The  latter  portion  of  our  drive  into  Caliente  was 


CALIFOENIAN  DEIVING.  199 

down  hill,  and  the  way  we  raced  along  was  wonder 
ful.  And  now  for  a  few  words  on  coachmen.  I 
have  had  a  good  deal  of  coaching  during  my  life  in 
various  places  —  in  Ireland  and  Wales  before  the 
days  of  railroads,  and  in  many  foreign  lands  since 
then,  but  I  can  honestly  say  that  I  never  saw  any 
men  handle  their  ribbons  like  these  Californian 
drivers.  Their  teams,  nearly  always  consisting  of 
six  horses,  are  as  well  turned  out,  with  regard  to  size, 
pace,  and  condition,  as  any  four-in-hand  one  sees 
in  the  Park  during  the  London  season ;  of  course  I 
do  not  allude  to  appointments  or  harness,  or  even 
grooming — these  are  rough  and  homely  enough. 
The  roads  as  a  rule  are  simply  frightful  ;  often 
hanging  over  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  constantly 
crossing  at  this  time  of  the  year  the  dried-up  bed  of 
a  river  paved  with  huge  round  boulders,  or  going 
down  a  declivity  that  many  fellows  would  funk  out 
hunting.  They  bave  no  guard  or  anyone  to  assist 
them,  but  work  the  brake  themselves,  go  full  spin 
round  corners  almost  sharp  enough  to  hide  the 
leaders,  avoid  bad  ruts  (chuck-holes  they  call  them 
here)  in  the  most  extraordinary  manner,  have  less 
accidents,  and  get  more  out  of  their  horses,  keeping 
them  at  the  same  time  in  perfect  condition,  than  any 
other  men  in  the  world.  I  am  fond  of  driving,  and 
nothing  gives  me  greater  pleasure  than  to  see  good 
driving.  These  men  I  consider  the  finest  "  whips" 
in  creation,  and  it  is  worth  coming  all  the  way  to 
California  if  only  to  learn  what  coaching  really  is. 
Plenty  of  the  members  of  our  "  Four-in-hand  Club  " 
look  very  workmanlike  in  their  tight-fitting  trousers, 
white  box-coats,  and  curly  brimmed  hats.  Their 


200  THE  TWO  AMEEICAS. 

teams  are  perfectly  matched,  and  a  long  purse,  or 
long  credit,  procures  them  pace,  size,  blood,  and  bone. 
They  carry  their  legs  straight,  their  reins  are 
properly  arranged  in  the  orthodox  fashion,  and  if 
the  two  grooms  they  generally  take  behind,  elabor 
ately  attired  in  buckskin  and  tops,  are  moderately 
active,  they  can  get  round  a  tolerably  sharp  corner, 
or  succeed  in  doing  Hyde  Park  much  to  the 
admiration  of  griffins  or  women,  and  to  their  own 
entire  satisfaction ;  but  as  to  driving,  in  the  real 
sense  of  the  word — well,  ignorance  is  bliss,  though 
in  their  case  it  would  not  be  folly  to  be  wise.  Our 
old  coachmen  could  drive.  Between  Cork  and 
Dublin  and  Limerick  and  Galway ;  and  before  those 
days  between  London  and  York,  there  were  many 
real  workmen.  French,  German,  and  continental 
coachmen  generally,  are  nearly  all  tailors.  Like 
most  Englishmen,  I  always  fancied  that  driving  was 
our  speciality  ;  but  after  going  about  a  thousand  miles 
over  Californian  roads  arid  with  Californian  drivers,  I 
confess  that  we  cannot  so  much  as  touch  them. 

It  was  quite  dark  when  we  drove  into  Caliente, 
and  much  as  I  appreciated  the  coachmanship  of  the 
Far-West,  I  was  delighted  at  the  opportunity  of 
testing  the  convenience  and  (to  me)  novelty  of  a 
palace  sleeping-car,  being  pretty  well  exhausted 
from  my  long  day. 

About  ten  miles  before  reaching  Caliente,  while 
going  quietly  up  a  small  hill,  we  were  somewhat 
startled  by  hearing  a  man's  voice,  in  the  most 
distressed  tone  begging  for  help.  The  accents 
were  piteous,  and  the  sounds  seemed  to  corue  from 
a  little  wood,  a  short  distance  off  the  road.  We 


"SOLD.11  201 


sung  out,  "What's  the  matter?"  but  could  get  no 
other  answer  save,  "  Help !  help ! "  and  at  last  had 
to  pull  up  and  consider  what  was  to  be  done.  Several 
people  suggested  that "  some  one  "  should  go  and  see 
what  was  the  matter,  but  no  one  seemed  inclined  to 
move.  One  good-natured  man  offered  to  lend  his 
pistol  to  anyone  that  liked  to  go,  but  did  not  stir 
himself ;  and  for  my  own  part,  looking  on  the  affair, 
whatever  it  might  be,  as  a  .purely  American  trans 
action,  of  which  nationality  all  but  myself  were  citizens, 
I  quietly  determined  to  let  them  settle  their  own  affairs 
their  own  way,  having  however  a  shrewd  suspicion 
that  there  was  a  "  plant "  somewhere,  though  I  could 
not  tell  what  form  it  might  assume.  My  impression 
was,  that  it  was  a  dodge  to  separate  our  party,  and 
then  attack  the  coach,  while  some  of  us  were  looking 
for  the  individual  requiring  assistance.  A  natural 
ized  Dutchman  from  the  inside  was  evidently  of  the 
same  opinion,  as,  leaning  his  head  out  of  the  carriage, 
he  lustily  bawled  to  our  "  coachy,"  "  Mem  gott,  man, 
why  for  you  not  drive  ?  Drive,  drive,  drive  like 
h — 11 ! "  and  fell  back  exhausted  with  contending 
emotion  and  excitement.  I  never  saw  men  in  such  a 
fix.  No  one  liked  to  go  into  the  dark  wood  from 
whence  the  sounds  proceeded,  yet  no  one  liked  to 
drive  on  and  possibly  leave  a  fellow-creature  in 
mortal  distress.  Again  the  voice  besought  help,  and 
much  to  our  relief  a  gentleman  from  behind,  imme 
diately  exclaimed,  "  By  thunder  !  It's  a  ventriloquist 
on  the  coach."  So  indeed  it  was.  He  knew  the 
Dutchman  had  money  on  his  person  for  the  purpose 
of  buying  some  property  he  was  going  up  to  pur 
chase,  and  he  merely  did  it  to  get  a  rise  out  of  our 


202  THE   TWO  AMEEICAS. 

fat  friend,   who  was  notorious  for  his  timidity  and 
wealth. 

I  found  the  sleeping-cars  delightful ;  but  unfortu 
nately  had  the  Dutchman,  in  the  opposite  bunk,  and 
as  he  trumpeted  variations  through  his  nose  with  an 
amount  of  power  and  vigour  I  have  seldom  heard 
equalled,  the  best  part  of  rny  night  was  occupied  in 
stealing  his  boots  arid  throwing  them  at  his  head,  it 
being  perfectly  impossible  to  sleep  through  his  fearful 
snoring.  In  the  morning  we  stopped  at  Lathrop  for 
breakfast.  Not  a  hurried,  scrambling,  badly-served 
meal,  like  we  get  in  England  on  similar  occasions,  but 
a  good  wholesome  repast,  consisting  of  fish,  fruit, 
three  or  four  meats,  and  a  dozen  kinds  of  bread,  and 
all  for  little  over  two  shillings.  On  each  side  of  the 
line  the  country  was  perfectly  flat,  and  every  inch  of 
it  cultivated.  Corn-fields  of  from  one  hundred  to  a 
thousand  acres,  without  either  break  or  fence,  seemed 
common  enough.  The  carriages  led  from  one  to  an 
other,  so  that  passengers  could  walk  the  entire  length 
of  the  cars,  and  at  last  arriving  at  Oaklands  we  crossed 
the  ferry  to  Sari  Francisco  ;  and,  tired  and  dusty  from 
my  almost  incessant  journeying  by  rail  and  coach 
for  three  days,  1  drove  up  to  the  Lick  House  Hotel. 

I  was  a  good  deal  disappointed  about  San  Francisco, 
having  been  led  to  expect  too  much.  The  harbour 
is  a  very  fine  one,  undoubtedly,  and  well  sheltered. 
Some  of  the  streets  are  well  built ;  the  houses  are 
large  ;  and  property  is  valuable  ;  but  the  chief  thing 
about  San  Francisco  is  said  in  announcing  that  five- 
and- twenty  years  ago  it  was  merely  a  sand  heap, 
and  that  probably  in  another  fi  ve-and-twenty  it  will 
again  have  doubled  itself.  The  climate,  when  I  was 


SAN  FRANCISCO.  203 

there  in  July,  was  simply  detestable — cold,  raw  morn 
ings  and  evenings,  occasional  fogs,  burning  hot  noons, 
and  a  running  accompaniment  of  dust  and  sand  at 
all  times.  I  was  struck  by  the  number  of  extremely 
pretty  faces  I  met  in  the  streets,  and  nearly  all  their 
owners  were  well  dressed  and  graceful.  The  predomi 
nating  cast  of  countenance  among  the  men  is  Irish. 

California  Street  is  as  busy  and  seems  as  much 
crowded  as  any  of  our  own  thoroughfares  in  the  City. 
People  jostle  each  other,  expectorating  profusely,  and 
as  trade  prospers,  so  in  proportion  does  saliva  seem 
to  flow.  This  shocking  habit  is  not,  however,  confined 
to  one  locality.  All  the  pavements  in  the  best  streets 
and  vestibules  in  the  hotels  are  similarly  befouled  ; 
but  nobody  seems  to  mind  it,  and  well-dressed  ladies 
trail  their  dresses  through  it  all  with  perfect  un 
concern.  Habit,  I  suppose,  accustoms  them  to  what 
Englishmen  view  with  disgust ;  but  a  stranger  can 
not  help  noticing  a  custom  at  once  so  repulsive  and 
notorious.  I  do  not  think,  however,  any  person  giving 
his  views  of  tho  town  and  its  inhabitants  will  find 
any  other  fault,  and  as  spitting  is  looked  on  by 
them  as  being  quite  legitimate,  their  amour  propre 
cannot  be  wounded  by  its  being  mentioned.  The 
mere  fact  of  being  an  Englishman — and  somehow 
they  seem  to  know  it  instinctively — seems  to  predis 
pose  everyone  to  be  kind  and  civil.  Everyone  I  met 
appeared  willing  to  go  out  of  his  way  to  do  me  a 
kindness.  I  invariably  met  with  the  greatest  courtesy 
when  brought  in  contact  with  perfect  strangers  ;  and 
I  think  it  almost  impossible  for  any  foreigner  to  leave 
San  Francisco  otherwise  than  favourably  impressed 
with  the  natives  he  may  have  been  thrown  among. 


204  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

They  are  a  little  given  to  brag  about  the  wonder 
ful  resources  of  their  State,  but  as  what  they  are  so 
fond  of  talking  about  is,  after  all,  only  the  common 
truth,  one  can  hardly  find  fault  with  their  very 
natural  pride  on  such  a  subject.  The  markets  are 
most  interesting,  indeed  about  the  best-worth-seeing 
thing  in  the  town.  The  Chinese  quarter,  to  a  person 
who  has  never  been  in  China,  is  of  course  extremely 
singular;  but  having  wandered  all  over  the  Celestial 
kingdom,  from  Canton  to  Pekin,  many  years  ago, 
it  possessed  but  few  charms  for  me.  Woodward's 
Gardens,  the  Park,  and  the  Cliff  House,  should  be 
visited ;  after  which  very  little  else  remains  to  be 
seen  that  one  has  not  already  habituated  oneself  to 
looking  at  in  every  other  decent-sized  town  all  over 
the  world. 

The  Cliff  House  is  an  hotel  and  restaurant  facing 
the  sea,  a  short  distance  from  the  "  Golden  Gate  ; "  its 
great  attraction  a  couple  of  rocks  a  short  distance 
from  it,  which  are  covered  with  seals  and  sea-lions. 
The  sight  is  an  extremely  singular  one,  and  as  very 
excellent  feeding  is  combined  with  this  curious 
spectacle,  and  a  charming  view  obtainable  of  all  the 
vessels  entering  and  leaving  one  of  the  most  thriving 

o  o  o 

seaports  in  the  world,  it  naturally  becomes  a  favourite 
resort  for  all  holiday  seekers.  The  Palace  Hotel 
one  of  the  employes  was  kind  enougli  to  take  me  all 
over,  and  I  need  only  say  that  at  present  it  is  the 
largest  in  the  world,  and  seems  well  planned  and 
comfortable.  The  "  Lick  House  "  was  quite  the  re 
verse,  and  I  heard  several  complaints  as  to  the  "  go-a 
head  "  nature  of  the  visitors'  bills  on  leaving.  There 
are  two  clubs,  "  The  Union  "  and  «  The  Pacific,"  both 


PECULIARITIES  OF  DRESS.  205 

of  which  were  kind  enough  to  extend  their  hospi 
talities  to  me  during  my  stay  in  their  town. 

Some  of  the  restaurants  are  admirable,  and  at  one, 
"The  Poodle  Dog,"  an  American  gentleman  gave  a 
dinner  to  which  he  was  kind  enough  to  invite  me, 
which  equalled  in  every  respect  any  I  ever  saw  in 
similar  establishments  in  either  London  or  Paris.  The 
gentlemen's  customs  with  regard  to  costume  are  at 
times  somewhat  bewildering,  and  an  Englishman 
unwittingly  may  occasionally  give  offence  through 
not  knowing  exactly  how,  on  their  festive  occasions, 
he  should  apparel  himself.  Our  ordinary  dress-coat 
seems  to  be  reserved  for  very  great  occasions,  and  a 
kind  of  demi  toilette,  consisting  of  an  open  waistcoat, 
black  frock-coat  and  black  trousers,  seems  to  be  de 
rigueur — the  kind  of  "get  up,"  in  fact,  one  occasionally 
sees  a  respectable  mechanic  wearing  in  England  on 
a  Sunday.  Of  course  one  would  be  safe  in  adopting 
ordinary  evening-dress,  but  still  most  of  us  dislike 
being  singular,  and,  being  unaware  of  the  happy 
medium,  Englishmen  are  apt  to  plunge  into  extremes. 

A  certain  nobleman  visiting  the  West  fell  into 
such  a  trap,  and  I  suppose  for  the  next  fifty  years 
one  of  the  first  things  an  Englishman  will  hear  will 
be  that  the  Duke  of-  -  went  to  a  party  in  a  coloured 
shirt.  San  Francisco  is  however  so  well  known,  and 
described  so  fully  in  hundreds  of  works,  that  I  will  not 
say  any  more  about  it.  It  is  interesting  chiefly  on 
account  of  the  immense  strides  it  has  taken  towards 
prosperity  in  so  short  a  time,  but  I  do  not  think  any 
stranger  having  seen  it  once  will  ever  care  to  do 
so  again,  and  certainly  not  if  his  first  visit,  like 
mine  was,  should  be  in  July. 


206  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

The  celebration  of  American  Independence  un 
fortunately  happened,  when  I  was  there,  to  fall  on  a 
Sunday  ;  and  anxious  as  I  naturally  was  to  view 
one  of  their  characteristic  and  most  popular  fetes,  I 
must  warn  my  readers  against  undergoing  a  similar 
infliction. 

From  early  on  Saturday  until  the  following 
Tuesday  morning,  the  town  appeared  to  he  handed 
over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  hordes  of  children 
of  both  sexes,  who  for  three  entire  days  kept  up 
an  incessant  and  terrible  discharge  of  fireworks. 
Their  chief  amusement  appeared  to  -  consist  in 
dropping  crackers  in  the  most  crowded  and  principal 
thoroughfares,  with  rather  long  pieces  of  touch-paper 
attached  to  them,  so  that  they  might  explode  under 
the  dresses  or  feet  of  pedestrians  who  did  not 
diligently  avoid  walking  over  the  smallest  spark. 
For  carriages  and  horses  they  had  another  and  far 
more  dangerous  description  of  weapon.  It  was  a 
large  bomb, — I  think  in  the  trade  they  are  called 
maroons  or  some  such  name,  but  often  in  a  pyro- 
technical  display  have  I  seen  a  discharge  of  them 
usher  in  the  more  refined  novelties  about  to  follow. 
The  noise  they  produce  is  as  loud  as  a  small  field- 
piece,  and  when  scientifically  exploded  beneath  an 
unwary  street-car,  the  result  is  occasionally  extremely 
gratifying  to  all  parties,  and  must  add  considerably 
to  the  patriotic  feelings  which  no  doubt  animate 
them.  The  fourth,  falling  on  a  Sunday,  the  fol 
lowing  Monday  was  selected  by  the  Municipality 
for  the  national  holiday,  and  on  Monday  came  the 
usual  procession.  Most  civic  processions  unaided  by 
military  display  are  ponderous  and  stupid,  and  this 


THE  FOURTH  OF  JULY.  207 

was  certainly  no  exception.  All  kinds  of  guilds, 
crafts  and  interests,  straggled  loosely  in  semi-martial 
array  for  a  couple  of  hours  past  the  windows  of  the 
Union  Club,  where  I  perched  myself  to  watch  them. 
Among  the  most  numerous  were  a  band  of  "The 
Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians,"  carrying  a  green  flag 
with  a  harp  on  it,  and  so  large  that  the  unfortunate 
standard-bearer  could  hardly  stagger. 

I  do  not  think  at  this  period  there  is  a  single  man 
in  England,  unless  he  happens  to  be  a  lunatic,  who 
begrudges  the  Americans  their  independence,  or 
who  would  have  them  otherwise  than  what  they  are 
• — prosperous  and  powerful ;  but  why,  in  the  name  of 
goodness,  they  should  turn  one  of  their  chief  towns 
into  a  pandemonium  for  three  da}rs,  and  suffer  the 
inconvenience  of  crackers  being  fired  at  their  legs, 
and  squibs  at  their  faces,  in  honour  of  an  event  that 
ought  to  be  a  source  of  pleasure,  is  more  than  I  can 
quite  understand. 

Disappointed  through  the  lateness  of  the  season 
about  getting  up  to  Alaska,  I  cast  about  for 
information  respecting  salmon-fishing  nearer  San 
Francisco,  and  hearing  favourable  accounts  of  the 
sport  obtainable  in  the  head-waters  of  the  Sacra 
mento  and  McLeod  rivers,  away  in  the  heart  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  mountains,  I  determined  on  joining 
an  American  gentleman  who  was  going  up  there, 
and  trying  my  luck  on  these  little-known  and 
certainly  imperfectly-fished  streams. 

Fortune  was  more  than  kind  when  she  sent  Joe 
Gr.  to  be  my  companion.  Particularly  well  read,  a 
first-class  fisherman,  brought  up  from  childhood  to 
a  life  requiring  a  capability  of  roughing  it,  and 


208  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

accustomed  to  all  the  shifts  and  expedients  of  a 
backwood  life,  had  I  secured  a  comrade  made  to 
order  I  could  not  have  got  a  better  one,  arid  to  his 
companionship  I  certainly  owe  three-fourths  of  the 
pleasures  of  the  trip. 

As  far  as  Redding  we  were  able  to  travel  by  rail, 
passing  through  the  San  Joaquim  valley,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  length  by  about  thirty 
miles  broad,  and  celebrated  as  being  the  great  grain- 
producing  farm  of  California.  The  size  of  the  fields 
is  astonishing,  and  twenty  miles  of  standing  wheat 
without  a  single  break  or  enclosure  is  neither  extra 
ordinary  nor  uncommon. 

At  Redding  we  took  the  stage,  and  travelling  all 
night,  with  the  usual  team  of  six  horses,  arrived 
next  afternoon  at  the  Soda  Springs,  Siskiyou 
County,  which  was  to  be  head-quarters  during  our 
campaign  against  the  scaly  monster. 

The  drive  from  Redding  lay  through  a  forest  of 
pine,  fir,  and  cedar ;  and  as  morning  broke  we 
found  ourselves  well  into  the  Sierras,  whose  high 
peaks  ranged  for  many  miles  on  all  sides.  The  size 
of  the  timber  was  very  remarkable,  particularly  some 
of  the  sugar-pines,  whose  broad,  clear  trunks  rose 
like  huge  giants  to  incredible  heights  above  the 
ground  before  the  smallest  branch  broke  the  exquisite 
symmetry  of  their  appearance.  I  never  saw  more 
magnificent  timber;  but  at  present  its  growth  is 
more  ornamental  than  useful,  there  being  no  means 
of  carrying  it  from  its  native  spot. 

The  road  more  or  less  ran  the  whole  way  near  the 
banks  of  the  Sacramento,  which  at  times  lay  many 
hundred  feet  directly  below  us,  and  amid  whose  clear 


THE  SIEERA  NEVADA  MOUNTAINS.  209 

waters,  even  at  these  great  heights,  we  could  see  the 
salmon  swimming  about  distinctly,  some  of  the  pools 
being  blank  with  them.  The  further  we  advanced 
among  the  Sierras  the  grander  the  scenery  became. 
Castle  rocks,  rugged  and  fantastic  of  outline,  a  sudden 
turn  revealed  to  our  astonished  gaze,  and  Mount 
Shasta,  nearly  15,000  feet  above  the  sea,  covered  with 
perpetual  snow,  reared  its  majestic  head  far  above 
the  neighbouring  "  butes,"  towering  like  a  huge 
bully  towards  the  sky — monarch  of  all  around  it. 

The  hotel  at  the  "  Soda  Springs  "  is  kept  by  two 
backwoodsmen — George  Campbell  and  Uncle  Dick ; 
who  have  for  many  years  been  settled  in  the  Far- 
West.  The  house  was  scrupulously  clean  and 
comfortable,  the  charges  exceedingly  moderate,  and 
the  two  hosts,  not  only  thorough  sportsmen,  but 
well  informed  intellectual  men,  not  too  conceited  to 
work  hard  themselves,  and  only  happy  when  they 
were  making  their  guests  comfortable. 

A  good  many  visitors  come  here  from  Yreka 
and  other  places,  merely  to  drink  the  water,  which 
from  a  small  well  opposite  the  house  comes  bubbling 
and  effervescing  from  the  earth.  It  has  a  strong 
pungent  taste  which  grows  rapidly  in  favour  with 
its  habitual  drinker,  and  is  supposed  by  many  to  be 
a  sovereign  remedy  for  all  the  ills  the  flesh  is  heir 
to.  Strange  to  say,  it  has  not  been  analysed,  but 
people  coining  here  with  a  multiplicity  of  com 
plaints  invariably  declare  themselves  benefited  by 
its  waters ;  though  I  think  myself  that  it  is  quite 
probable  that  regular  living,  good  air,  and  total 
abstinence  from  all  intoxicating  beverages  (and  I 
never  saw  a  drop  of  wine,  beer,  or  spirits  for  the 


210  THE  TWO  AMEEICAS. 

month  I  was  up  here)  may  have  had  much  to  do 
with  their  rapid  recovery.  For  my  own  part,  I  got 
to  like  it  immensely,  and  as  I  left  the  Soda  Springs  in 
the  same  excellent  state  of  preservation  I  arrived  in, 
I  can  at  any  rate  guarantee  that  it  will  not  make 
any  one  ill. 

The  river  is  ahout  a  hundred  yards  from  the 
house,  one  of  the  best  pools  being  the  nearest  spot. 
We  found  it  full  of  fish.  They  would  not  rise  at  fly, 
but  took  bait  greedily,  and  were  so  easy  to  catch  and 
so  little  sought  after,  that  having  all  the  river  at  our 
sole  command  we  took  it  very  easily,  never  com 
mencing  before  breakfast  and  invariably  returning  to 
dinner.  The  proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the  eating, 
and  without  entering  into  any  lengthy  dissertation 
on  a  sport  so  well  known  and  frequently  described 
as  salmon-fishing,  I  give  the  result  of  a  week's  work 
to  my  own  rod,  the  record  for  the  remaining  period  I 
stayed  here  being  very  similar. 

23rd  of  July,  4  salmon,  weighing,  12,  121,  7£,  81  Ibs.,  each. 

24th      „       7      „  „          12,  9,  7, 17, 12, 151, 17  Ibs.  each. 

26th      „        7      „  „          13, 15,  61, 231, 11,  21, 10  Ibs.  each. 

27th  „  15  „  „  3,  8, 14, 10,  4, 15£,  7,  91,  17*,  181, 

12,  21,  61, 16, 16  Ibs.  each. 

29th  „  27  „  „  7,191,9,15,14,13,13,91,15,10,11, 

15,141,151,21,15,2,61,15,  13, 
91, 15, 21, 121,71, 13, 15  Ibs.  each. 

The  29th  was  the  only  day  I  really  worked  hard, 
and  then  did  not  commence  fishing  until  7  A.M., 
and,  having  allowed  myself  an  hour  for  luncheon 
and  a  meditative  pipe,  ceased  operations  at  6.30 
P.M.  Nearly  half  these  fish  I  gaffed  and  landed  with 
out  assistance,  and  I  very  much  doubt  if  there  is 
any  record  of  any  one  person  having  killed  a  greater 


SALMON-FISHING  EXTRAORDINARY.          211 

number  in  a  shorter  time,  in  any  other  river  in  the 
world. 

For  eleven  hours  and  a  half,  excepting  luncheon, 
which  is  only  a  polite  name  for  a  rest  much  needed, 
I  was  in  salmon,  as  hardly  a  minute  elapsed  after 
one  was  captured  before  another  was  on,  and  back 
and  arms  bore  testimony  the  next  day  to  the 
severity  of  the  contest. 

This  fishing,  gentle  reader,  is  yours  if  you  like 
to  come  for  it.  Without  one  penny  of  cost,  all  the 
rivers  of  the  West  are  at  your  disposal ;  arid  when 
I  remember  the  prices  charged  on  the  Lochy,  the 
Thurso,  Castle  Connell,  and  a  host  of  other  places, 
where  the  sport  obtainable  is  not  one  quarter  as 
good,  I  am  surprised  ingenuous  youth  does  not 
occasionally  find  its  way  out  here,  where  deer,  bear, 
and  salmon  are  only  waiting  their  disposal. 

To  my  idea,  one  of  the  greatest  luxuries  con 
nected  with  salmon-fishing  lies  in  not  being  hurried. 
At  Lough  Tay  I  was  always  bustled  off  before  I 
had  half  finished  my  breakfast;  and  how  distinctly 
I  remember,  at  a  well-known  river  not  a  hundred 
miles  from  Connemara,  the  rush,  and  bad  feeling  en 
gendered  by  the  perpetual  anxiety  daily  displayed 
to  get  first  on  the  best  throws.  To  keep  a  favourite 
pool,  a  man  would  either  remain  all  night  or  start 
long  before  daylight  the  next  morning. 

Once  I  was  tempted  by  the  enthusiastic  "gossoon" 
who  constituted  himself  my  attendant,  to  attempt  to 
cut  out  a  Manchester  tradesman,  who,  more  energetic 
than  skilful,  invariably  got  the  best  water  to  make 
the  worst  use  of.  At  an  hour,  horrible  to  con 
template,  some  small  pebbles  struck  against  my 

p  2 


212  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

window,  arid  as  I  opened  it,  a  subdued  voice  from 
without — "  Whist !  Whist !  yer  honour  ;  kape  quiet 
what  iver  you  do,  and  don't  be  after  waking  thira 
blackguards  below  yer.  Beclad  !  we'll  do  them  this 
turn  any  how."  With  the  utmost  caution  and 
carrying  my  boots  in  my  hand,  I  proceeded  to  arouse 
my  comrade,  a  Scotch  Baronet,  invariably  eager  for 
the  "  fishy  fray,"  and  in  the  shortest  possible  space 
of  time  we  were  wending  our  way  to  the  favourite 
pool  with  the  delighted  Pat,  who  was  exuberant 
at  having,  as  he  thought,  done  the  tradesman. 

Imagine  our  horror  when,  a  few  minutes  after 
wards,  we  found  "  Manchester "  hard  at  work 
thrashing  the  river  in  the  very  place  we  were  going 
to,  and  all  our  trouble  taken  for  nothing.  Our  bete 
noir,  though  an  unskilful  fisher,  was  a  keen  man  of 
business,  and  having  paid  his  £3  for  the  week's 
sport,  was  determined  to  get  his  pound  of  fish  if 
possible. 

Here  one  rarely  finds  the  slightest  competition, 
and  as  salmon  are  quite  at  a  discount,  the  only 
anglers  one  ever  meets  are  those  who  confine  their 
attention  entirely  to  trout.  The  trout-fishing  is  as 
first-class  proportionately  as  the  salmon,  and  Mr.  Gr., 
who  generally  devoted  himself  to  that  branch  of 
the  gentle  art,  usually  brought  back  from  nine  to 
eighteen  dozen,  the  largest  running  to  about  three 
pounds. 

The  fishing  was  so  good,  I  paid  little  attention 
to  the  shooting ;  but  deer  must  have  been  round  the 
locality  in  very  large  numbers,  as  the  ground  in 
places  was  quite  cut  up  by  their  trails,  and  I  do  not 
remember  Campbell  ever  having  a  blank  day  when 


MOUNT  SHASTA.     -  213 


he  went  out  to  provide  venison  for  the  table. 
There  were  a  few  coveys  of  mountain-quail  about 
the  house ;  but  for  bear  and  deer,  at  certain  seasons, 
a  man  could  not  get  a  much  better  starting-point. 

From  the  Soda  Springs  I  went  to  Sissons,  a  prettily 
situated  ranche  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Shasta, 
intending  to  climb  to  the  crater  for  the  view,  it 
being  one  of  the  highest  "  butes,"  as  they  are  called, 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  with  a  chance  also  of 
getting  a  shot  at  a  mountain-sheep  on  the  way 
there.  When,  however,  I  arrived,  the  country  was 
so  overwhelmed  with  the  smoke  of  burning  forests, 
that  the  view  part  of  the  undertaking  was  at  once 
demolished,  and  as  a  crack  at  the  inountain-sheep 
seemed  somewhat  problematical,  I  retraced  my  steps 
and  got  ready  for  camping  out  with  Mr.  Gr.  on  the 
banks  of  the  McLeod. 

The  McLeod  river  lay  by  a  rough  trail  through  the 
forest  about  twenty  miles  from  the  Soda  Springs,  and 
having  chartered  a  light  waggon  and  pair  of  horses 
for  the  job,  we  started  one  morning  with  rods,  tent, 
&c.,  and  all  the  necessary  paraphernalia  for  an 
outing.  Sam  McNeil,  our  driver,  was  the  slowest  and 
most  careful  u  whip  "  I  met  in  California,  and  gave 
us  ampler  time  than  was  perhaps  quite  requisite  to 
admire  the  magnificence  of  the  forests  of  stately  timber 
through  which  our  road  lay  ;  however,  all  things 
have  an  ending,  and  after  making  a  trail  for  the 
last  couple  of  miles  through  some  scrub  and  brush 
wood,  we  at  length  halted  in  a  beautiful  grove  of 
trees  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  set  to  work 
pitching  our  camp.  This  'done,  we  caught  a  large 
basket  of  trout,  the  best  of  which  we  had  for  dinner  : 


214  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

and  piling  heaps  of  wood  as  it  grew  dark  on  our 
fire,  until  the  flames  illuminated  the  tall  pine-trees 
to  their  highest  points,  we  smoked  and  chatted  by 
its  cheerful  light.  Voting  that  the  tent,  though 
an  ornamental  addition  to  the  picturesque  effect  of 
the  surroundings,  was  utterly  unneedful  in  such  a 
charming  climate,  we  cast  ourselves  on  a  luxuriant 
couch  of  fragrant  boughs  ;  arid  canopied  only  by  the 
blue  vault  of  heaven,  and  soothed  by  the  music  of 
the  rushing  stream  whose  murmuring  waters  acted 
as  a  sweet  lullaby  to  our  wearied  frames,  tired  and 
worn  out  with  prolonged  slaughter,  we  slept  as  sound 
as  the  proverbial  "  top  "  of  innocence  and  childhood. 

The  McLeod  is,  without  any  exception,  the 
"gamest"  river  I  ever  fished  on,  and  in  no  other 
water  in  the  world  have  I  ever  seen  trout  so  perfectly 
conditioned  or  so  well-fed.  Though  but  ten  miles 
from  its  source,  it  possessed  a  body  of  water  almost 
equal  to  the  Shannon  at  Castle  Council,  and  of  so  clear 
and  transparent  a  quality,  that  in  pools  of  from 
twenty  to  thirty  feet  deep  the  smallest  object  could 
be  discerned  on  the  bottom,  and  the  movement  of 
every  fish  watched  as  he  darted  at  the  hook. 

Daily  we  killed  large  baskets  of  trout,  among 
whom  were  many  "  Dolly  Vardens,"  but  unfor 
tunately  the  salmon  had  all  either  spawned  or  were 
spawning.  The  river  was  absolutely  full  of  them, 
and  while  fishing  for  trout  we  were  perpetually 
hooking  the  huge  brutes,  who  played  the  mischief 
with  our  tackle,  and  were  utterly  useless  when 
banked.  Spoon  or  bait,  it  was  all  the  same ;  they 
would  take  anything,  and  I  seldom  managed  to  get 
through  a  day  without  killing  at  least  six  or  seven, 


THE  McLEOD  RIVER.  215 

though  I  did  all  I  could  to  avoid  them,  constantly 
lifting  my  rod  when  I  saw  them  coining.  The 
average  weight  of  these  ill-conditioned  gentry  was 
about  18  Ibs.  I  saw  some  dead  ones — (the  mortality 
that  prevails  among  them  after  spawning  is  incon 
ceivable  ;  so  much  so,  that  many  of  the  inhabitants 
firmly  believe  they  all  die) — that  weighed  at  least  40 
Ibs.,  and  hooked  several  that  were  even  larger.  I  am 
quite  convinced  that  at  the  right  season  the  salmon- 
fishing  in  this  river  must  be  simply  wonderful,  and 
as  they  take  a  fly  in  the  Shasta,  which  is  but  a  few 
miles  distant,  it  is  more  than  probable  they  would 
rise  to  it  here  also. 

The  "Dolly  Varden"  is  looked  upon  by  the 
natives  as,  if  not  a  lusus  naturce,  at  any  rate  a  fish 
peculiar  to  the  waters  of  the  McLeod,  and  they  are 
consequently  proud  of  possessing  what  they  believe 
to  be  a  singularity.  Nothing  annoys  a  Welchman 
more  than  to  tell  him  his  cherished  "  sewin  "  is  a 
sea-trout.  For  my  part,  though  I  have  killed  many 
of  the  former,  and  several  hundredweights  of  the 
latter,  I  am  unable  to  distinguish  the  difference,  and 
for  a  like  reason  am  equally  convinced  that  the 
"  Dolly  Varden  "  is  a  genuine  trout.  The  ordinary 
trout  inhabiting  the  waters  of  all  rivers  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  bears  no  specks  of  red  like  his 
English  prototype;  instead  of  which,  he  carries  a 
bright  vermilion  lateral  line,  extending  from  the 
gills  to  the  tail  on  each  side  of  his  body.  The  trout 
in  the  McLeod  are  beautifully  shaped,  and  indeed 
possess  the  most  perfect  forms  of  symmetrical  excel 
lence  I  have  ever  seen  exhibited  in  any  other  of  their 
species.  Their  bodies  are  deeper,  their  heads  smaller, 


216  THE   TWO   AMERICAS. 

and  their  general  colouring  more  brilliant,  than  the 
trout  (salmo  fario)  of  our  native  land  ;  but  above  all 
those  attributes,  they  have  a  gameness  and  deter 
mination  when  hooked  which  is  only  equalled  by  our 
sea-trout  (salmo  truttd),  a  totally  different  fish.  We 
killed  none  above  3^  Ibs.,  and  from  what  I  could 
gather  from  old  fishermen  on  the  river,  they  seldom 
exceed  that  size. 

The  "  Dolly  Yarden  "  (and  not  having,  I  regret  to 
say,  the  slightest  claim  to  be  considered  a  naturalist, 
I  shall  not  attempt  to  classify,  but  merely  allude  to 
it  by  the  local  name)  possesses  far  more  of  the 
attributes  of  the  salmo  fario  than  the  ordinary 
trout  of  the  Pacific  rivers.  Its  markings  are  similar 
to  our  lake  -  trout,  except  that  the  red  spots  are 
brighter  and  more  distinctly  perceivable  above  the 
lateral  line  than  in  any  home  species  I  have  ever 
observed.  Their  weight  varies  considerably.  I 
have  heard  of  them  running  as  heavy  as  10  Ibs.,  but 
our  largest  was  4^  Ibs.  Its  head  is  large  and  coarse, 
and  stretch  of  jaw  prodigious,  enabling  it  to  swallow 
with  little  difficulty  fish  of  certainly  a  quarter  its  own 
size.  Its  body  is  thickset  and  round,  but  unduly  long 
in  proportion  to  its  depth  ;  and  though  undoubtedly 
rapacious,  taking  freely  spoon,  phantom  bait,  or 
minnow,  it  is  when  hooked  a  sluggish,  cowardly  fish, 
affording  but  little  sport,  and  is  not  particularly  good 
eating  either.  Its  shape  is,  in  fact,  as  like  a  pike's  as 
it  well  can  be,  or,  describing  by  trout  analogy,  it 
would  look  like  an  ill-conditioned  cross  between  the 
salmo  ferox  and  gillaroo.  To  my  unscientific  eye 
it  is  only  a  badly  conditioned  species  of  the  salmo 
ferox,  whose  un^ai  ily  proportions  are  more  promi- 


"DOLLY  VARDEN"   TROUT.  217 

neritly  brought  to  notice  through  being  unusually 
placed  in  juxtaposition  with  the  ordinary  trout  of  the 
McLeod,  the  most  symmetrical  and  beautiful  in 
existence. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  our  camp,  and  along  the 
banks  of  the  river,  were  situated  several  deer-licks, 
and,  tempted  by  the  number  of  beaten  tracks  leading 
to  arid  from  them,  I  determined  one  night  to  experi 
mentalise  on  this  very  ordinary  method  of  shooting 
them  out  here. 

A  deer-lick  is  generally  a  small  spring  of  saline  or 
sulphur-impregnated  water,  to  which,  should  it  be  a 
tasty  one  and  not  too  frequently  disturbed,  all  the 
deer  in  the  country  for  miles  and  miles  will  come 
to  "  liquor  up."  The  modus  operandi  is  simplicity 
itself,  and  consists  merely  in  concealment  and  waiting 
for  a  shot, — not  particularly  sportsman  -  like,  or  as 
good  fun  as  stalking,  still  in  the  backwoods  sport  is 
not  always  the  only  object;  occasionally  one  wants 
food,  and  it  requires  a  little  endurance  to  lie  entirely 
alone  all  night  amid  the  profound  stillness  of  a 
primaeval  forest,  with  no  fire,  no  pipe,  no  companion, 
and  not  even  a  dog.  One  afternoon,  shouldering  my 
blankets  and  food,  I  started  for  a  neighbouring  lick, 
which  at  some  distance  from  our  camp  lay  close  to 
the  river's  bank,  and,  concealing  myself  on  the 
opposite  side,  commenced  the  vigil. 

Eeader, — have  you  ever  been  alone  all  night  ?  I 
do  not  mean  in  your  bedroom,  or  even  riding  or  driv 
ing  on  a  beaten  road ;  but  absolutely  companioriless 
in  the  heart  of  a  great  forest,  extending  with  but 
little  intermission  for  hundreds  of  miles,  without 
either  fire  or  pipe,  and  entirely  occupied  with  watch- 


218  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

ing,  while  vision  lasted,  a  small  opposing  space  ?  If 
you  have — well,  I  hope  you  liked  it ;  for  I  cannot  say 
that  I  did;  but  still,  I  wanted  to  judge  of  the  sensation, 
and  having  made  up  my  mind  to  get  a  deer,  would 
have  stopped  a  fortnight  rather  than  be  baulked. 
The  shadows  lengthened  on  the  water.  The  sun 
went  down.  Mosquitos  and  bats  succeeded  the 
butterfly  and  blue  jay,  but  still  no  sign  of  deer. 
Darkness  set  in.  In  the  intentness  of  my  watch 
prior  to  nightfall,  I  had  neglected  to  select  a  comfort 
able  spot  to  lie  on.  I  now  found  myself  apparently 
balanced  on  sharp  stones,  like  the  needle  of  a  com 
pass,  in  whichever  direction  I  turned.  It  occurred 
to  me  that  bears  often  came  along  the  river  to  feed 
on  dead  salmon  (indeed,  we  had  seen  many  of  their 
tracks),  that  at  times  they  are  clumsy  and  stupid,  and 
that  one  might  stumble  over  me  by  accident  and 
cause  a  fight. 

We  killed  a  lot  of  rattle-snakes  at  the  Soda  Springs 
while  I  was  there.  It  appeared  to  me  now  that  this 
place  was  full  of  them.  I  heard  their  rattling  dis 
tinctly.  I  longed  for  a  pipe,  but  with  stoical  resolu 
tion  I  refrained  from  tainting  the  atmosphere.  The 
trees  assumed  a  thousand  curious  and  fantastic 
shapes,  quite  incompatible  with  well-behaved  vege 
table  life;  in  fact,  I  spent  a  particularly  unpleasant 
night  of  it,  and  felt  much  relieved  when  the  dawn 
of  morning  dispelled  the  gloomy  visions  and  imagina 
tion's  of  darkness.  Still,  however,  my  long  guard 
was  unrewarded,  and  at  nine  o'clock  Sam  McNeil, 
who  brought  a  pack-horse  to  carry  back  the  expected 
buck,  found  me  still  watching,  but  unsuccessful. 
Would  I  ride  back  to  camp  for  breakfast?  No.  I 


WATCHING  A  DEER-LICK.  219 

still  had  a  morsel  of  bread.  In  the  evening  he  might 
bring  me  provisions,  but  stir  I  would  not  till  a  buck 
lay  slain.  Sam  went  off  possibly  thinking  me  a 
lunatic,  and  for  another  hour  I  watched,  now,  how 
ever,  varying  the  monotony  with  a  book.  At  last 
my  patience  was  rewarded,  for  on  looking  up  to  turn 
a  page  a  deer  stood  before  me. 

So  soft  and  noiselessly  had  it  approached,  I  never 
detected  the  slightest  sound.  The  rest  was  simple 
enough.  A  second  after  my  bullet  crashed  through 
its  heart,  and  thus  ended  my  first  experience  of 
watching  a  lick.  Another  time  I  think  I  could  (and 
did)  improve  on  it ;  but  having  got  through  the  first 
attempt,  I  felt  that  the  next  would  be  simple  enough, 
and  I  learned  from  experience  that  I  could  soon 
accustom  myself  to  solitary  hunting  if  it  became 
necessary.  Except  for  the  sake  of  food,  I  do  not 
recommend  anyone  to  undergo  this  ordeal,  as  deer 
are  riot  worth  it ;  but  still,  as  bears  are  best  got  at 
by  midnight  watching,  and  an  occasional  vigil  in 
darkness  and  solitude  is  at  times  a  necessity  during 
a  sportsman's  life,  perhaps  one  trial  by  way  of 
practice  will  do  no  harm,  and  I  can  guarantee  that 
the  second,  if  taken,  will  be  far  less  irksome  than 
the  first. 

A  few  Indians,  "Diggers,"  occasionally  camp  for 
salmon-spearing  near  the  river's  banks,  and  it  is  not 
bad  fun  on  a  "  lazy  day  "  to  see  them  picking  them 
out.  They  seem  quiet  and  well-disposed^  though  the 
distance  from  the  "  lava  beds  "  is  only  seventy  miles. 
These  are  famous  as  the  scene  of  the  last  Modoc  war, 
during  which  "  Captain  Jack,"  a  noted  Indian  chief, 
baffled  the  vigilance  and  energy  of  the  United  States 


220  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

troops,  killing  several  of  them,  though  at  length  slain 
himself. 

On  several  occasions,  after  fishing  in  the  Sacra 
mento,  dead  salmon  were  unavoidably  left  on  the 
banks;  as  they  were  invariably  taken  off  by  bears, 
Mr.  G.  and  myself  determined  one  night  to  watch 
for  them.  Baiting  a  spot  convenient  to  our  ambus 
cade,  which  lay  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
we  took  our  blankets  one  afternoon  to  the  selected 
place,  and  watched  diligently  all  night,  without, 
however,  any  success.  No  bear  came  near  us,  and 
a  solitary  wild  duck,  which  I  decapitated  with  a 
bullet  after  giving  up  all  hopes  of  getting  game 
more  distinguished,  was  our  sole  reward. 

Notwithstanding  my  own  want  of  success,  I  can 
strongly  recommend  anyone  staying  here  to  "  go  in  "  for 
bears,  as  hardly  a  day  passed  that  their  fresh  trails  were 
not  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  our  fishing,  and  immense 
numbers  must  be  in  the  neighbouring  mountains. 

The  mortality  among  salmon  both  in  the  McLeod 
and  Sacramento  rivers  after  spawning  is  very  remark 
able,  and  as  the  bears  are  in  the  habit  of  regaling  them 
selves  on  the  savoury  morsels  thus  provided,  to  leave 
a  few  fish  as  a  lure  early  in  the  season,  before  the 
novelty  by  repletion  becomes  worn  out,  is  the  best 
inducement  I  know  of  to  get  the  generality  of  them 
to  offer  a  .shot.  I  nearly  forgot  to  mention  that  the 
salmon  of  these  rivers  is  as  game  a  fish  as  ever  swal 
lowed  hook.  The  mere  fact  of  my  having  killed 
twenty-seven  of  them  in  one  day,  might  induce 
people  to  fancy  that  strong  tackle  and  muscle  was  all 
that  was  necessary,  and  an  account  of  my  successes, 
published  in  the  Field  newspaper,  actually  did  pro- 


FISHING  IN   THE  SACEAMENTO.  221 

duce  a  letter  from  some  ignorant  or  jealous  person, 
who,  writing  under  the  assumed  name  of  "  Phoenix," 
stigmatized  the  sport  I  had  been  enjoying  "  as  a 
mere  slaughter  of  useless  and  worn-out  fish  utterly 
unable  to  afford  sport." 

Owing  to  my  having  been  on  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains  on  a  shooting  expedition,  some  time  elapsed 
before  this  unwarrantable  attack  was  brought  to  my 
notice;  but  as  my  letter  in  reply  embraces  prelty 
well  the  whole  pith  of  Sacramento  salmon-fishing,  at 
any  rate  so  far  as  the  sporting  qualifications  of  the 
fish  are  concerned.  I  give  rny  letter  on  the  subject  at 
full  length  : — 


"  Fishing  in  the  Sacramento,  California. 

"  Having  been  for  the  last  few  months  shooting  in 
some  of  the  most  out-of-the-way  places  in  the  western 
portions  of  the  United  States,  I  have  only  just  had 
brought  to  my  notice  a  letter  by  '  Phoenix,'  who, 
writing  from  California,  criticises  somewhat  severely 
an  account  sent  by  my  brother  to  your  paper  of  the 
salmon-fishing  in  the  head-waters  of  the  Sacramento. 

"  Of  all  the  bores  a  man  can  be  inflicted  by  on  this 
transitory  sphere,  a  newspaper  controversy  is  about 
the  greatest ;  and  were  it  not  that  '  Phoenix's '  letter 
is  calculated  to  mislead  many  fishermen,  who  next 
year  may  visit  America  for  the  centennial  com 
memoration,  I  should  not  trouble  you  with  this 
letter. 

"  Salmon,  as  '  Phoenix '  observes,  will  look  at 
nothing  in  these  waters  but  roe.  Day  after  day  I 
have  vainly  endeavoured  to  tempt  them  with  every 


222  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

description  of  lure.  Every  sort  of  fly — and  I  had 
some  hundreds  with  me  —  failed  to  move  them. 
'  Worms  '  was  not  their  '  diet ' ;  phantom  and  small 
trout  they  would  not  look  at ;  they  could  not  even 
be  induced  to  '  spoon.'  This  being  the  case  it  merely 
became  a  question  of  fishing  or  not  fishing. 

"  Now,  salmon,  with  the  assistance  of  a  rod,  are 
either  killed  by  fly  or  bait,  and  I  should  imagine 
that  only  a  lunatic  would  employ  the  latter  where 
the  former  would  answer  his  purpose.  Still,  during 
the  seasons  on  particular  waters,  where  a  man  might 
as  well  thrash  a  turnpike-road  as  cast  a  fly  over  the 
uncompromising  fish,  the  latter  method  is  constantly 
employed,  and  I  have  paid  as  much  as  £5  a  week  for 
permission  to  fish  on  Loch  Tay  at  a  time  when  no 
other  could  be  used.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
season  at  Castle  Connell  and  other  places  I  have  been 
compelled  to  fish  in  like  manner. 

"  I  may  be  singular,  but  to  me  (as  relative  to  fly 
fishing)  all  bait  work  is  alike,  whether,  roe,  worm, 
trout,  phantom,  or  minnow,  and  I  only  use  them  after 
experience  has  told  me  that  flies  are  worthless. 

"  The  use  of  roe  in  Europe  is  most  properly  con 
demned,  as  being  unsportsmanlike  and  wrong ;  but 
in  the  Sacramento,  not  only  will  the  fish  look  at  no 
other  kind  of  bait,  but  the  river  is  so  overstocked 
that  hundreds  of  thousands  of  salmon  perish  annually 
during  spawning  time,  and  instead  of  the  river 
suffering  from  so  deadly  a  manner  of  killing  fish, 
almost  any  method  employed  to  thin  their  number 
would  improve  it. 

"  If  '  Phoenix '  thought  proper  to  employ  an  Indian 
to  spear  him  salmon,  and  then  fished  for  them  out  of 


CALIFORNIAN  SALMON-FISHING.  223 

season,  when  they  neither  afforded  sport  nor  were 
good  for  food,  it  is  his  own  affair — '  Chacun  a  son 
gout'  I  neither  did  the  one  nor  the  other. 

"  Almost  every  day  we  ate  salmon  for  luncheon, 
which  we  cooked  ourselves  by  the  river's  bank,  and 
most  of  us  preferred  them  infinitely  to  trout. 

u  As  to  their  affording  no  sport,  I  can  only  say  that 
I  have  fished  in  Norway,  Nova  Scotia,  Scotland,  and 
Ireland,  and  have  never  handled  gamer  fish. 

"  One  of  my  favourite  casts  (not  with  the  two-hooked 
implement  so  well  appi eclated  by  '  Phoenix')  was  at 
the  head  of  a  large  deep  pool,  into  which  flowed  a 
heavy  rapid.  Close  to  where  I  stood  a  shelving 
bank  afforded  good  landing-ground,  but  a  steep  rock 
and  some  overhanging  trees  prevented  a  fish  being 
followed.  The  pool  was  so  large  and  deep  that  a 
salmon  seldom  tried  to  leave  it;  still,  occasionally 
they  did,  and  when  they  did,  used-up  and  powerless 
as  '  Phoenix '  describes  them  to  be,  I,  at  any  rate,  was 
unable  to  control  their  headlong  rush.  In  case  this 
inability  might  be  attributed  to  either  inexperience 
or  personal  decrepitude,  I  may  as  well  state  that  I 
have  killed  salmon  for  over  twenty  years,  com 
mencing  at  the  tender  age  of  thirteen,  when  I  landed 
my  first  fish.  That  the  tackle  I  used  was  the 
strongest  and  best  I  ever  had,  that  I  walk  over  14 
stone,  and  was  never  a  week  sick  or  sorry  in  iny  life, 
and  yet  no  less  than  five  different  fish  compelled  me 
to  swim,  with  my  rod  in  one  hand,  this  long  deep 
stretch  of  water,  ice-like  in  temperature,  from  the 
small  streams  flowing  from  the  perpetual  snows  of 
Shasta  and  other  high  points  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  and  by  no  means  the  kind  of  water  one 


224  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

would  select  for  a  bath  in  a  shooting-coat.  I  could 
not  get  round  the  bank ;  I  had  to  follow  my  fish  or 
lose  him,  and  I  preferred  to  follow. 

"  On  another  occasion  I  saw  a  salmon,  after  run 
ning  out  eighty  yards  of  line,  take  a  great  big  back 
woodsman  a  quarter  of  a  mile  down  the  river.  A 
rapid  here  prevented  his  following,  and  as  a  last 
chance  he  threw  his  rod  over  after  the  fish.  Fortu 
nately  no  accident  happened,  and  at  the  bottom  the 
rod  was  secured.  No  sooner  was  the  line  tightened, 
than  away  rushed  the  fish  ;  but  Mr.  Goodman  getting 
before  him,  and  beating  the  river  with  his  gaff,  he 
once  more  turned  and  again  went  up  the  rapid,  the 
holder  of  the  rod  this  time  following,  owing  to 
having  more  line  on  the  reel,  and  after  twenty 
minutes'  more  severe  play  he  was  killed. 

"  These  are  the  fish  that '  Phoenix '  characterises  as 
*  having  neither  strength  nor  pluck/  the  killing  of 
which  he  designates  as  *  mere  slaughter.' 

"I  do  not  know  where  c  Phoenix '  fishes,  or  what  kind 
of  salmon  he  is  in  the  habit  of  catching ;  but  for  my 
part,  unless  we  can  cross  them  with  either  a  fox  or  a 
flying-fish,  so  that  after  an  hour  or  so  at  the  end  of  a 
line  we  can  clap  on  a  pack  of  hounds,  or  try  them 
with  a  hawk,  I  do  not  know  where  to  get  a  garner  fish 
than  the  salmon  of  the  Sacramento.  My  friend,  Mr. 
J.  T.  Goodman,  one  of  the  best  fishermen  in  America, 
and  a  well-known  man  in  San  Francisco  arid  all  the 
West,  saw  these  events  occur,  and  will  corroborate 
my  statement,  should  corroboration  be  considered 
necessary. 

"  I  shall  not  trouble  you  on  this  subject  again. 
Should  '  Phoenix  '  think  proper  to  do  so,  I  hope  it 


FERRIES.  225 


may  be  with  proper  name  and  address.  I  shall  be 
in  California  for  salmon-fishing  in  July,  and  should 
much  like  to  thank  him  for  the  courteous  manner  in 
which  he  criticised  my  brother's  letter." 

The  Sacramento,  Klamath,  Shasta,  and  McLeod 
rivers,  are  not  more  than  twenty  miles  apart,  and 
come  into  order  in  succession.  So  that  the  very 
cream  of  each  may  be  gathered  by  a  man  visiting 
them  one  after  the  other.  In  the  Klamath  and 
McLeod  the  salmon  run  very  heavy,  and  in  the 
Shasta  they  take  a  fly. 

I  felt  quite  sorry  at  leaving  the  Soda  Springs.  The 
fishing  was  so  superb,  everything  was  so  clean,  com 
fortable,  and  homely,  and  Campbell  and  Uncle  Dick 
were  such  unaffected  thorough  sportsmen,  and  so 
very  obliging  and  kind. 

On  the  16th  of  August  we  left  by  the  Oregon 
stage,  and  after  a  somewhat  dusty  drive  in  an  un 
pleasantly  over-crowded  coach,  reached  Redding  at 
12  P.M.  We  passed  innumerable  worked-out  mining 
operations  on  the  banks  of  the  Sacramento,  where 
some  years  ago  the  search  after  gold  had  been  ardent 
and  unceasing,  and  still  a  few  straggling  camps 
showed  that  there  remained  sufficient  of  the  precious 
metal  to  render  the  river  attractive  to  the  industrious 
or  sanguine.  The  ferries  across  the  Sacramento, 
McLeod,  and  Pitt  rivers,  seemed  excellent  con 
trivances.  We  drove  our  six  horses  straight  on 
board,  arid  one  man  took  the  boat  across  by  means  of 
a  windlass,  without  our  having  either  to  unharness 
or  unload  the  coach.  Notwithstanding  the  boasted 

Q 


£26  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

superiority  of  American  railway  travelling1  over 
everything  similar  in  the  world,  a  European  finds 
pretty  well  as  many  faults  here  as  at  home.  The 
train  leaves  Redding  at  twelve  o'clock  at  night  with 
the  mail  and  passengers  from  Oregon.  These  people 
are  four  days  and  nights  on  about  as  bad  a  road  as 
can  well  be  found,  and  will  riot  reach  San  Francisco 
until  late  next  afternoon — about  double  the  time  it 
takes  in  going  between  London  and  Edinburgh ;  yet 
there  were  no  sleeping-cars,  and  American  ordinary 
travelling  ones  are  without  exception  the  most  un 
pleasant  for  purposes  of  slumber  of  any  conceivable. 
Should  the  wearied  traveller,  notwithstanding  the 
cramps  and  pains  that  attend  the  stowing  away  of 
legs  and  feet  in  the  confined  space  obtainable  on  the 
two  seats  which  form  a  single  bench,  succeed  in  getting 
to  sleep,  he  is  pretty  certain  to  be  awoke  ere  long  by 
some  garrulous  native,  and  as  each  carriage  holds 
thirty-six  passengers,  he  has  small  chance  of  getting 
a  nap. 

Their  regulations  also  with  regard  to  baggage  are 
to  a  sportsman  inconvenient  to  a  degree.  Port 
manteaus  containing  wearing  apparel  are  checked, 
and  much  trouble  doubtless  saved  ;  but  gun-cases, 
fishing-rods,  cartridge-box,  and  fishing-basket,  are 
religiously  tabooed  ;  and  as  there  are  no  porters,  I  had 
to  stagger  from  place  to  place  with  my  accumulated 
load  of  woes  occasionally  increased  by  a  small  port 
manteau  for  immediate  necessity,  a  bundle  of  wraps, 
and  an  odd  book  or  paper. 

My  gun-cases  were  particular  objects  of  suspicion, 
and  each  guard  had  a  peculiar  theory  of  his  own  in 


EXTRA  BAGGAGE.  227 

connection  with  them.  Though  within  the  margin  of 
the  recognised  weight  for  luggage,  none  of  them 
would  allow  them  to  he  registered  with  my  portman 
teaus,  and  frequently  would  not  permit  them  to  be 
taken  in  the  cars.  Often  I  had  to  carry  them  to  the 
luggage-van,  where  they  were  charged  extra  for. 
The  rods,  cartridge-box,  and  basket,  were  generally 
allowed  in  the  Pulmans ;  but  I  always  had  to  carry 
them  about  myself,  which  when  changes  were 
numerous,  loose  parcels  many,  and  time  limited,  was 
excessively  unpleasant.  The  railway  officials  were 
always  civil  and  wished  to  be  obliging,  but  they  have 
their  crotchets,  and  this  crusade  against  the  very 
ordinary  baggage  of  an  English  gentleman,  namely, 
his  guns  and  rods,  seems  one  of  their  hobbies. 

I  found  that  several  English  words  in  America  had 
rather  peculiar  significations.  Sportsman,  for  in 
stance,  means  "  blackleg  ;"  shooting,  they  call  hunt 
ing  ;  and  "  democrat  "  is  the  term  selected  for  their 
particular  cognomen  by  the  party  who  represent  the 
Conservative  interests  of  the  country. 


228  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Lathrop — Merced — American  politicians — Tuolumne  Grove — The  Yo- 
Semite  Valley — Garrote— Mammoth  Grove  of  "  Big  Trees,"  Calaveras 
County — South  Park  Grove  of  "  Big  Trees  " — Lake  Tahoe — Fishing 
on  Tahoe — Carson — "Night  ride  on  a  "  cow-catcher  " — Visit  to  a  silver 
mine  —  Gold  —  Earthquakes  —  Virginia  City  —  Land  of  Mormon — 
Funeral  of  George  A.  Smith — The  Tabernacle — A  Mormon  sermon 
— Sulphur  Springs — The  trowel-bayonet — The  Great  Salt  Lake- 
Jackass  rabbits. 

AT  Latlirop  we  halted  for  dinner,  and  here  I  parted 
with  my  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gr.,  who  continued 
their  journey  to  San  Francisco.  The  next  passenger- 
train  for  Merced  did  not  go  for  five  hours,  and  I  was, 
after  they  left,  somewhat  disconsolately  contemplating 
a  large  grizzly  bear  confined  on  the  platform  in  a 
cage,  and  anatomically  considering  the  best  place  for 
driving  in  a  bullet  if  ever  I  got  a  shot  at  one, — a 
favourite  habit  of  mine  when  examining  captive  wild 
beasts, — when  I  heard  the  whistle  of  a  goods  train, 
and  finding  that  I  could  go  by  it  at  once  if  I  liked, 
and  save  a  long  delay,  I  jumped  on  board  and 
started. 

Our  track  lay  through  a  perfectly  flat  stubble- 
covered  plain,  and  though  it  was  interesting  to  know 
that  much  of  the  land  we  were  passing  over,  though 
a  common  prairie  and  covered  with  shaparall  and 
scrub  not  six  years  ago,  was  now  yielding  from  fifty 


MERCED.  229 


to  a  hundred  bushels  of  grain  an  acre,  the  monotony 
became  unbearable,  and  I  was  heartily  glad  when  the 
journey  ended.  These  great  plains  are  horribly  irk 
some.  In  England  a  man  can  amuse  himself  for 
hours— at  any  rate,  I  can— by  selecting  the  places  in 
a  fence  we  are  coming  at,  that,  out  hunting,  I  should 
ride  for,  and  looking  as  the  train  passes  to  see 
whether  my  judgment  was  sound,  or  if  I  should  have 
got  a  "  cropper."  Here  the  land  was  flat  as  a  pan 
cake,  not  a  fence  or  tree  to  be  seen,  or  even  a  bird, 
to  break  the  never-ending  stagnation  of  sameness. 

Merced  is  a  town  of  but  little  over  two  years' 
growth.  It  has  a  first-class  hotel,  "El  Capitan," 
which  is  four  stories  high,  and  can  accommodate  two 
hundred  visitors ;  and  a  handsome  Court  House, 
which  would  be  an  ornament  to  a  town  ten  times  its 
size  and  importance.  From  Merced  the  tourist  starts 
by  coach  for  Yo-Semite. 

The  rivalry  that  exists  between  the  different 
companies  renders  a  decision  as  to  the  route  to  be 
taken  somewhat  baffling,  each  tout  swearing  that  the 
other's  road  is  uninteresting  or  wrong,  and  that  the 
unavailing  regret  of  a  lifetime  will  follow  its  selec 
tion.  Being  hard  up  for  amusement  to  kill  time, 
I  made  no  choice  until  the  different  stages  were 
actually  about  to  start,  and  was  considerably  enter 
tained  by  the  skirmishes  which  continually  took 
place  at  intervals  during  the  day,  between  the  rival 
agents  to  secure  my  dollars. 

In  the  evening  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  hear  a 
couple  of  republican  members  of  Congress,  who 
were  what  is  usually  termed  "stumping  the 


230  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

country,"  give  vent  to  their  pent-up  patriotism  by  a 
violent  attack  on  another  body  of  political  opponents 
termed  "  independents."  The  speeches  took  place 
opposite  the  hotel,  and  though  the  audience  chiefly 
consisted  of  people  belonging  to  the  Democrat  per 
suasion,  they  listened  to  the  address  of  their  anta 
gonists  with  attention  and  forbearance,  and  gave 
them  a  far  more  liberal  hearing,  than  a  Radical 
audience  at  home  would  ever  dream  of  giving  Con 
servatives  similarly  situated. 

A  gentleman,  called  Bid  well,  candidate  for  the 
post  of  Governor,  was  the  chief  object  of  their  vitu 
peration  ;  and  the  fact  of  his  owning  a  farm  of  some 
fifty  thousand  acres,  which  was  all  highly  cultivated, 
and  had  been  made  so  entirely  by  his  own  energy 
and  capital,  seemed  their  principal  grievance  and 
cause  of  complaint  against  him. 

In  the  course  of  the  speeches,  one  of  the  honour 
able  gentlemen  described  how,  from  the  summit  of  a 
neighbouring  hill,  he  had  beheld  the  vast  plain 
covered  with  standing  crops,  amid  which  was  situated 
this  gentleman's  country-house,  and  how  his  blood 
boiled  at  such  an  act  of  monopoly.  "  Am  I,"  he 
cried,  "in  England  or  America  ?  Is  this  the  castle  of 
some  feudal  baron — or  the  house  of  an  American 
citizen  ?  Am  I  under  the  Cross  of  St.  George — or 
the  glorious  '  Stars  and  Stripes '  of  liberty  arid 
freedom  ?  Citizens,  this  land  should  have  belonged 
to  you.  Each  hundred  and  sixty  acres  should  have 
supported  a  happy  family,"  &c.,  &c.  As  the  property 
in  question  was  by  no  means  an  unusually  large  one 
for  California,  and  as  there  are  any  amount  of  millions 


AMEEICAN  POLITICIANS  ON  THE  "  STUMP."     231 

of  acres  of  equally  valuable  land  in  the  States,  still 
lying  idle  and  uninhabited,  I  thought  it  a  little 
rough  on  Mr.  Bidwell,  that,  after  taking  so  much 
trouble,  an  outsider  should  quietly  distribute  his  pro 
perty  into  one-hundred-and-sixty-acre  lots ;  though 
goodness  knows  such  political  reasoning  is  not  un 
common,  as  one  of  our  own  shining  lights  attempted 
a  line  of  policy  not  very  dissimilar  with  regard  to 
other  people's  estates  in  Ireland. 

All  staging  in  America  commences  abominably 
early,  and  six  o'clock  one  morning  saw  me  start  with 
a  four-horse  team  for  the  Yo-Semite  via  Coulterville. 
I  was  fortunate  in  having  pleasant  companions  for 
the  trip,  and  during  my  stay  in  the  valley  we 
generally  did  our  sight-seeing  together.  Coulterville 
is  an  almost  deserted  mining-town.  In  its  immediate 
vicinity  the  surface  of  the  land  is  burrowed  and 
turned  over  in  every  direction,  lasting  monuments  to 
all  ages  of  the  race  for  gold,  which  rendered  California 
once  so  famous;  but  not  till  we  reached  Dudley's,  a 
comfortable  little  crib  where  we  spent  the  night,  did 
the  aspect  of  the  country  become  a  bit  inviting,  or 
show  the  slightest  approach  to  pretty  scenery.  Next 
day  the  drive  became  more  interesting.  For  miles 
we  passed  through  the  Foot  Hills,  covered  with  end 
less  acres  of  forest ;  and  gradually  getting  into  the 
Sierra  Nevadas,  beheld  the  magnificent  timber  for 
which  this  part  of  the  world  is  so  justly  celebrated. 

All  the  trees  were  large,  but  occasionally  we  met 
some  veritable  giants  among  the  sugar-pines,  which 
ran  frequently  up  to  two  hundred  feet  in  height,  often 
havino*  a  diameter  of  as  much  as  nine  feet  at  their 


232  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

base.  Great,  however,  as  these  trees  undoubtedly 
were,  the  Tuolunme  grove  of  "  big  trees  "  {Sequoia 
giganted),  which  we  drove  through  in  the  afternoon, 
quite  surpassed  them.  The  stump  of  one,  partly 
burned  out,  was  over  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  and 
many  of  the  others  were  but  little  inferior  to  it  in 
size.  Most  of  them  ran  to  a  height  of  from  two 
hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  their  huge 
stature  and  bulk  certainly  produced  an  effect  on  all  of 
us  of  more  astonishment  and  wonder  than  any  trees 
had  ever  done  before.  One  of  our  party,  an  American 
colonel,  who  had  lost  an  arm  during  their  late  civil 
war,  was  justly  indignant  at  the  manner  in  which 
many  of  the  trees  were  disfigured  by  idiots  hacking 
their  names  on  the  bark.  All  through  the  Yo-Semite 
I  afterwards  found  this  to  be  the  prevailing  custom, 
and  though  I  thought  our  own  people  were  the 
greatest  snobs  in  existence  for  cutting,  hacking,  and 
disfiguring  trees,  churches,  and  buildings  of  all  sorts, 
I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  add  as  a  rider,  to  gratify  my 
national  conceit,  that  in  this  most  unpleasant  family 
failing  our  Yankee  cousins  lick  us  hollow. 

We  passed  through  some  exquisite  morsels  of 
scenery,  and  at  last  reached  the  crowning  point  of  all 
that  is  enchanting — the  great  valley  of  the  Yo-Semite 
itself.  Words  are  quite  inadequate  to  do  it  justice, 
or  convey  to  the  reader  anything  of  an  idea  of  this 
marvellously  beautiful  spot.  I  not  only  never  saw, 
but  cannot  even  conceive  anything  more  soul-in 
spiring  or  grand.  What  so  many  skilled  writers 
have  failed  in  attempting  to  describe,  I  shall  not 
venture  on ;  for  I  never  read  an  account  yet  that 


THE   TO-SEMITE   VALLEY.  233 

brought  the  picture  to  my  mind's  eye  that  I  now  saw 
before  me. 

The  road  into  the  valley  wns  just  sufficiently  wide 
to  allow  our  leaders  room  to  move  along,  but  nothing 
could  have  passed  us  on  the  way.  In  some  places  the 
grade  was  exceedingly  steep;  the  corners  were  in 
variably  as  sharp  as  they  could  possibly  be  made  with 
the  slightest  regard  to  safety,  and,  the  whole  way 
down,  the  smallest  move  off  the  road  would  have 
entailed  certain  destruction  for  all  of  us.  I  occupied 
the  box-seat,  and  was  delighted  with  the  manner  our 
driver  (the  "  Buffalo "  he  was  called,  and  I  do  not 
know  his  real  name)  handled  his  team  of  five  horses, 
the  three  leaders  being  harnessed  abreast.  With  the 
brake  hard  on,  we  went  at  first  a  fair  trot  all  the  way. 
Over  such  ground  a  man  should  have  a  nerve  of  iron, 
a  hand  of  steel,  and  the  eye  of  a  hawk,  and  my  friend 
"  the  Buffalo  "  seemed  to  possess  all  of  them.  As  I 
have  observed  before,  there  are  no  "  whips "  in  the 
world  that  can  touch  the  Californians — I  do  not  mean 
to  say  that  there  are  not  a  few  "  muffs  "  among  them  ; 
but  the  general  lot  are  marvels,  and  if  you  sit  by  the 
side  of  a  good  man  on  visiting  the  Yo-Semite  for  the 
first  time,  I  do  not  think  ages  will  ever  efface  your 
enjoyment  of  the  drive. 

There  is  little  to  choose  in  the  matter  of  hotels. 
They  are  not  bad,  but,  considering  the  length  of 
time  the  valley  has  been  declared  a  "  national  park," 
none  of  them  are  as  good  as  they  ought  to  be.  Smith's 
Cosmopolitan  Saloon  and  Bath-house  is  the  only 
establishment  among  them  that  shows  any  of  the 
enterprise  and  improvement  that  the  Americans  as  a 


234  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

rule  are  famous  for.  If,  immediately  after  your  hot 
and  dusty  drive,  Mr.  Smith  makes  himself  for  the 
thirsty  traveller  one  of  his  celebrated  iced  claret 
punches,  a  very  happy  termination  to  the  day's 
journey  will  have  been  satisfactorily  arrived  at,  as  he 
is  certainly  one  of  the  most  clever  manipulators  of 
liquor  in  the  States.  Apropos  of  drinks,  much  as  the 
Californians  praise  their  wine  to  strangers,  I  ol  served 
they  studiously  refrained  from  drinking  it  them 
selves  ;  and  though  San  Franciscan  bars  are  invari 
ably  crowded,  I  never  heard  any  of  the  habitues  ever 
call  for  the  beverage  they  so  frequently  vaunt  as 
equalling  the  wines  of  France  or  Spain. 

Next  morning  we  rode  to  the  Nevada  fall?,  700 
feet  high  and  called  by  the  Indians,  Yo-wi-e ;  had 
luncheon  at  Snow's  hotel,  and  after  a  swim  in  a 
deliciously  cool  little  pond  just  above  them,  sent  our 
ponies  round,  and  walked  to  the  Vernal,  or  Pi-wa- 
ack,  which  signifies  a  cataract  of  diamonds,  and  has 
about  350  feet  of  clear  descent. 

Our  next  expedition  was  to  Mirror  Lake,  on  whose 
surface  during  a  clear  still  morning,  the  reflection  of 
the  "  South  Dome,"  4737  feet  above  the  Merced  river, 
and  the  perpendicular  face  of  smoothly  cut  granite  on 
the  side  towards  Tenaza  Canon,  are  as  distinctly 
visible  as  one's  own  countenance  when  looking  at  a 
glass.  The  "  Bridal  Veil "  fall,  Po-ho-no,  or  Spirit  of 
the  Evil  Wind,  940  feet,  was  also  done.  This  was 
a  very  easy  day's  work,  as,  with  the  exception  of  a 
slight  scramble  of  a  few  hundred  yards  over  rocks  to 
get  to  the  immediate  base  of  the  Bridal  Veil,  both 
places  were  visited  by  carriage. 


THE  YO-SEMITE   VALLEY.  235 

Glacier  Point  and  South  Dome  formed  the  next 
trip.  This,  in  my  opinion,  is  the  cream  of  the  whole 
lot  of  points  of  observation  to  which  trails  have  been 
cut,  and  strangers  recommended  to  visit.  By  a  wind 
ing  zigzag  path  an  altitude  of  over  4000  feet  is 
gradually  attained.  As  each  grade  in  the  road  is 
ascended,  fresh  beauties  in  the  valley  are  brought  to 
view  ;  cattle  and  horses  become  mere  specks  ;  until 
at  last  the  grand  old  El  Oapitan — Tu-tock-a-rnu-la — 
lies  almost  beneath  us,  and  on  looking  over  a  rock  at 
the  summit,  an  apparently  perpendicular  wall  shows 
a  sheer  descent  to  the  bottom,  and  startles  the  gazer 
by  its  terrible  abruptness  and  fearful  depth.  From 
this  point  one  not  only  gets  an  entire  view  of  the 
valley,  absolutely  looking  down  on  the  Yo-Semite 
falls,  themselves  2634  feet,  but  gains  also  an  ex 
tended  range  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  which 
rise  in  serried  peaks,  pine-clad  or  snow-capped,  far,  far 
away  in  the  distance.  Nothing  can  be  more  beautiful 
or  grander ;  and  if  time  should  be  an  object,  and  only 
one  day  be  devoted  by  the  hurried  traveller  to  see  the 
valley,  he  cannot  do  better  than  select  Glacier  Point 
as  the  one  thing  to  be  visited. 

In  the  Yo-Semite  are  several  very  beautiful  trees 
for  cabinet  purposes,  and  a  German  residing  here 
has  manufactured  many  pieces  of  inlaid  work  formed 
entirely  from  the  woods  found  in  the  valley.  The 
Manzaneta  (Arctostaphylos  glauca),  the  Buck-eye 
(^Esculus  Paira),  and  the  Laurel  (Tetranthera  Call- 
fornica),  all  take  a  beautiful  polish,  and  are  much 
sought  after  for  veneering. 

I  killed  a  few  dozen  small  trout  with  fly  in  the 


» 
236  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

Merced  river.  The  fish  run  small,  and  the  water  is  very 
clear  and  much  hacked  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  hotel ;  but  by  riding  about  eight  miles  down  the 
river,  tolerably  fair  sport  can  be  obtained,  and  any 
one  possessed  of  ordinary  skill  will  easily  capture 
from  three  to  six  dozen. 

My  friend  Mr.  G.,  who  is,  however,  a  first-class 
fisherman,  constantly  made  much  larger  bags ;  but 
ordinary  anglers  will  easily  manage  the  numbers  I 
have  given  them,  though  the  hotel-keepers  invariably 
talk  of  their  extraordinary  shyness,  and  pretend  that 
the  Indians  alone  are  able  to  kill  trout  on  the  Merced. 

Having  exhausted  the  principal  views  of  the  Yo- 
Semite,  though  still  wishing  to  linger,  we  tore  our 
selves  away,  and  at  the  usual  disagreeably  early  hour 
started  one  morning  for  the  Mammoth  and  South 
Park  Grove  of  Sequoias  in  Calaveras  County,  a 
three  days'  drive  by  stage  from  the  valley.  Our 
intention  was  to  have  halted  for  the  night  at  Chinese 
Camp,  which,  with  any  regard  to  equalising  the 
distance  and  comfort  of  next  day's  drive,  would 
undoubtedly  have  been  our  wisest  plan ;  but  at 
Garrote  we  were  seized  upon  by  a  predatory  and 
plausible  inn-keeper,  who  by  the  bribe  of  a  butterfly 
to  one  man,  and  a  swim  to  another,  prevailed  on  the 
whole  party  to  halt  there,  and  I  was  perforce  obliged 
to  follow  their  example,  though  much  against  my 
will.  The  butterfly  was  described  as  being  rare  and 
beautiful ;  the  bathing  as  refreshing  as  divine.  The 
road,  like  all  Californian  ones,  was  dusty  in  the 
extreme,  and  cleanliness  being  next  to  godliness, 
only  a  good  deal  easier  of  attainment,  I  became 


GAEEOTE.  237 


somewhat  reconciled  to  my  fate,  and  cross-questioned 
our  plausible  friend  as  to  the  locality  of  the  stream 
he  had  been  describing.  How  far  off  was  it  ?  Oh, 
quite  close — not  a  quarter  of  a  mile, — and  he 
would  show  us  the  way.  Was  it  deep  ?  Not 
very,  but  we  could  wade  in  nicely.  Away  started 
the  Colonel  and  myself  in  the  direction  pointed  out, 
and  at  last,  after  a  hot  and  tiresome  walk,  of  at  least 
a  mile  and  a  half,  came  on  the  long-looked-for  water. 
It  was  a  dirty  little  mud  ditch,  not  four  feet  wide, 
used  for  conveying  water  to  some  neighbouring 
hydraulic  and  placer  mines.  Not  two  inches  of 
water  ran  over  its  slimy-looking  bottom,  and  the 
wading  in  could  only  be  accomplished  by  wading 
through  two  feet  of  soft  mud.  The  butterfly,  I  am 
happy  to  say,  was  as  great  a  sell  as  the  bath  ;  but  I 
will  do  the  fellow  justice  by  saying  that  his  feeding 
was  good,  his  charges  reasonable,  and  his  house 
scrupulously  clean. 

Our  next  day's  drive  lay  through  a  country 
burrowed  and  excavated  in  every  possible  direction 
by  the  seekers  after  gold.  Round  Senora  parties 
were  still  busily  engaged  at  this  captivating  species 
of  toil,  and  several  mines  were  pointed  out  by  our 
driver  which  were  yielding  very  heavy  receipts 
above  their  working  expenditure.  Parts  of  the 
country  were  pretty,  and  particularly  so  near  where 
we  crossed  the  Tuolumne  river  by  a  ferry  kept  by 
an  old  Yorkshire  man,  who  gave  us  several  bunches 
of  fine  grapes.  At  Murpheystown,  a  small  village 
entirely  supported  by  a  mining  population,  we 
halted  for  the  night,  and  a  good  plunge  in  the  clear 


238  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

blue  water  of  on  old  worked-out  and  deserted  mine 
over  a  hundred  feet  deep,  reconciled  us  to  our 
disappointment  on  the  previous  day. 

The  elections  were  still  being  busily  pushed,  and 
noisy  politicians  loudly  proclaimed  their  individual 
opinions,  until  gradually  in  the  small  hours  of  the 
morning  I  went  to  sleep  with  the  sounds  of  Re 
publican,  Independent,  Democrat,  and  Dolly  Yarden, 
rapidly  chasing  one  another  through  my  bewildered 
brain,  till  Morpheus  reigned  triumphant,  and  tem 
porary  oblivion  at  last  conquered  all  things.  Next 
morning  we  again  started,  but  this  day  only  sixteen 
miles  had  to  be  accomplished,  and  a  four  hours'  drive 
— the  horses  were  bad  and  the  roads  hilly — landed  us 
at  the  Mammoth  Grove.  In  one  of  the  narrowest 
and  worst  parts  of  the  road  we  suddenly  came  on  a 
waggon  load  of  "  campers."  To  pass  abreast  was 
impossible,  and  I  soon  had  an  opportunity  of  judging 
of  one  of  the  many  resources  of  Californian  travel. 
The  driver  of  the  waggon,  unhitching  his  team, 
fastened  them  behind,  and  we,  all  getting  out  of  our 
coach,  clapped  on  to  the  pole  and  quietly  dragged 
the  obstructive  conveyance  over  the  almost  pre 
cipitous  bank,  locked  the  wheels  to  prevent  its 
sliding,  and  passed  above  in  safety. 

The  hotel  kept  by  Messrs.  De  Briges  and  Sperry 
at  the  "  big  trees  "  is  comfortable  and  clean,  and  the 
cuisine  far  superior  to  anything  we  met  with  in  the 
Yo-Semite.  The  approach  to  it  passes  between  the 
Two  Sentinels,  each  over  three  hundred  feet  high ; 
the  largest  is  twenty-three  feet  in  diameter,  and  on  the 
right-hand  side  lies  the  celebrated  Mammoth  Grove. 


MAMMOTH  GEOVE  OF  "BIG   TREES."         239 

Description  almost  fails  to  give  a  person  an  ade 
quate  idea  of  the  vastness  and  grandeur  of  these  huge 
vegetable  monsters,  and  even  after  viewing  them,  one 
is  obliged  to  measure,  to  get  inside,  to  walk  round 
or  crawl  on  the  fallen  ones,  to  gradually  comprehend 
their  enormous  structure.  One  of  these  trees  which 
has  fallen  is  called  the  "  Father  of  the  Forest,"  and 
must  have  been  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high, 
and  forty  feet  in  diameter  before  it  fell.  Through  a 
hundred  feet  of  the  trunk,  which  is  hollow,  I  rode 
a  moderate-sized  horse  without  stooping  my  head. 
In  1853*  one  of  the  largest  trees,  ninety-two  feet  in 
circumference,  and  over  three  hundred  feet  high, 
was  cut  down.  Five  men  worked  twenty-five  days 
in  felling  it,  and  as  many  as  thirty-two  dancers  have 
figured  together-  on  its  stump. 

Near  the  stump  lies  a  section  of  the  trunk,  twenty- 
five  feet  in  diameter.  And  beyond  lies  the  immense 
trunk  as  it  fell,  measuring  three  hundred  and  two 
feet  from  end  to  end.  Upon  this  was  constructed  a 
bar-room  and  a  bowling  alley,  which  stretching  along 
its  upper  surface  for  a  distance  of  eighty-one  feet, 
afforded  ample  space  for  two  alley-beds  side  by  side. 
I  believe  there  are  ninety-three  of  these  sequoias  in 
the  grove,  not  including  those  under  twenty  years' 
growth,  but  out  of  the  number  there  are  ten,  each 
thirty  feet  in  diameter;  and  over  seventy,  between 
fifteen  and  thirty  feet  for  the  same  measurement. 
All  the  largest  have  names  nailed  upon  them,  and 
"  Starr  King,"  three  hundred  and  sixty-six  feet  high, 
is,  I  believe,  the  biggest  standing  in  the  group. 

Having  dawdled  for  a  couple  of  days  among  these 


240  THE  TWO  AMEEICAS. 

monsters,  and  varied  the  amusement  by  catching  a 
few  trout  in  a  small  stream  ("creek,"  they  always 
call  them  here)  running  within  a  couple  of  miles  of 
the  house,  we  determined  on  visiting  the  South  Park 
Grove,  six  miles  distant  from  our  hotel. 

Horses,  guides,  and  luncheon  being  forthcoming, 
we  started  off,  and  after  an  exceedingly  pleasant  ride 
arrived  at  a  likely-looking  stream  about  a  mile  from 
the  grove,  where,  having  my  trout-rod  with  me  and 
a  cast  of  flies,  I  soon  managed  to  kill  sufficient  fish  to 
form  an  acceptable  addition  to  our  mid-day  meal. 
The  South  Park  Grove  is  far  away  the  finest  of  all 
the  groups  of  Sequoia  gigantea  yet  discovered.  It 
contains  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty  of 
these  trees,  many  of  them  of  immense  size.  Into  a 
hollowed  portion  five  of  us  rode  our  horses,  which 
had  plenty  of  room  to  turn  without  the  slightest 
inconvenience,  and  the  guide  declared  he  had  seen 
fifteen  mounted  people  inside  at  the  same  time.  A 
tall,  wiry-looking  man  has  located  himself  in  this 
grove,  and  pre-empted  the  usual  allowance  of  land 
about  it.  He  took  us  to  his  house,  which  is  formed 
in  the  hollow  of  a  nobly-grown  sequoia.  It  made 
a  first-rate  chamber,  affording  plenty  of  space  for 
bed,  table,  and  chair,  and  even  allowed  him  room  to 
offer,  during  very  severe  weather,  stabling  and  pro 
tection  to  his  trusty  steed.  In  this  singular  abode, 
for  eleven  years,  he  had  resided  alone  and  happy. 
No  rent  to  pay,  taxes  to  afflict,  or  wife  to  torment 
him.  He  ate  when  hungry,  and  slept  when  tired ; 
fished  during  the  summer,  and  hunted  bear  and 
deer  and  did  his  trapping  during  winter,  and  was, 


SOUTH  PAEK  GROVE.  241 

according  to  his  own  account,  perfectly  contented 
with  his  lot.  One  of  the  chief  charms  of  this  grove  at 
present,  independent  of  its  vast  size,  is  that  everything 
is  in  a  perfect  state  of  nature.  The  trees  are  un- 
douhtedly  much  larger  and  better  grown  than  any 
of  those  at  the  Mammoth  Grove,  and  are  not  spoiled 
by  having  a  lot  of  names,  like  so  many  signboards,, 
stuck  upon  them.  They  are  less  visited,  and  are  con 
sequently  less  disfigured  by  Tom,  Dick,  and  Harry 
hacking  their  uninteresting  designations  all  over  the 
bark ;  and,  as  no  hotel  or  bar-room  is  in  the  imme 
diate  vicinity,  silence  and  nature  reign  supreme.  On 
the  embers  of  an  oak-bark  fire  I  cooked  our  trout, 
and  a  delightful  afternoon  was  passed  in  wandering 
quietly  about  this  wonderful  grove.  The  sugar-pines 
(Pinus  sabininai)  seem  to  attain  more  astonishing 
proportions  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  these  "  big 
trees"  than  in  any  other  locality.  Some  of  them 
attain  a  height  of  two  hundred  and  seventy  feet,  and 
not  un frequently  a  diameter  of  from  nine  to  eleven 
and  a  half  and  twelve  feet.  Their  proportions  are, 
to  my  mind,  far  more  symmetrical  than  the  sequoia ; 
and,  notwithstanding  the  latter's  enormous  growth, 
I  was  often  puzzled  to  tell,  while  looking  at  them 
together,  which  tree  I  admired  most. 

After  leaving  Calaveras  our  party  broke  up.  Some 
went  east,  and  others  west;  and,  tumbling  across 
another  wandering  baronet,  we  directed  our  steps 
towards  Virginia  City,  the  great  centre  of  all  silver 
mining ;  the  modern  Potosi  in  fact  of  North  America. 
Mr.  Gr.  had  given  me  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Messrs. 
Mackay  and  Fair,  the  managers  and  part  proprietors 

R 


242  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

of  the  California  and  Virginia  Consolidated  Mines,  at 
the  present  moment  the  most  wealthy  and  best  paying 
in  the  world,  and  !!.,  thinking  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  them  under  their  auspices  too  good  to  be  lost, 
came  with  ine,  though  he  was  in  a  red-hot  hurry  to 
get  to  Denver  for  the  shooting. 

The  scenery  from  the  train  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Cape  Horn  was  undoubtedly  grand,  and  as  the 
guide-books  have  it :  "  Timid  ladies  draw  back  with 
a  shudder,  one  look  into  the  awful  chasm  being  suf 
ficient  to  unsettle  their  nerves,  and  deprive  them  of 
the  wish  to  linger  near  the  grandest  scene  on  the 
whole  line  of  the  trans-continental  railroad."  Had  I 
not  so  very  recently  seen  Yo-Semite,  I  might  have 
admired  it  more,  but  under  the  circumstances  I  was 
rather  glad  when  at  10  P.M.  our  train  arrived  at  a 
station  called  Truckee,  where,  at  a  second  or  third  rate 
kind  of  inn  attached  to  the  railway  station,  we  were 
obliged  to  pass  the  night. 

Our  drive  next  morning  from  Truckee  to  Lake 
Tahoe,  along  the  banks  of  the  River  Truckee,  was  one 
to  be  remembered.  A  well-kept  road  followed  the 
river's  bank  through  forest  and  meadow,  forming  a 
kind  of  canon.  On  each  side  rose  steep  moun 
tains,  in  some  places  showing  extraordinary  rock 
formations,  whose  fantastic  outlines  and  queer  confor 
mation  added  considerably  to  the  general  effect  of  all 
around  us.  The  river  was  clear  as  crystal  and  formed 
a  very  beautiful  piece  of  water,  spoiled,  however,  for 
trout  fishing  by  the  numberless  saw-mills  and  mill- 
dams  that  are  established  along  its  banks ;  this  part 
of  Nevada  being  the  great  lumber  region  of  the 


LAKE  TAHOE.  243 


state,  and  Truckee  City  (almost  every  town  of  half- 
a-dozen  streets,  or  even  houses,  in  America  is  called 
a  city)  the  principal  depot  and  chief  market. 

On  our  road  we  were  pointed  out  the  scene  of  a 
recent  coach  disaster,  in  which  a  couple  of  people 
were  killed,  and  a  few  more  badly  injured.  It  seems 
that  in  going  down  a  steep  incline  with  a  high  bank 
on  one  side  and  a  precipice  on  the  other,  the  brake 
had  carried  away.  The  horses  became  unruly,  and 
finally  the  stage  was  pitched  about  sixty  or  eighty 
feet  down  an  almost  precipitous  declivity,  killing  and 
wounding  the  people  mentioned.  The  horses  wrere,  I 
believe,  all  killed,  and  on  examining  the  place,  my 
only  surprise  was  that  the  whole  party  had  not  suf 
fered  the  same  fate. 

Our  intention  had  been  to  cross  Lake  Tahoe  at 
once  and  go  on  to  Virginia  City,  but  while  waiting 
for  the  steam-boat  which  was  to  convey  us  across  the 
lake,  H.  became  so  enamoured  of  a  beautiful  dish  of 
trout,  some  of  them  running  about  five  pounds,  that 
he  determined  on  staying  to  try  his  luck,  a  local 
fisherman  promising  to  provide  the  necessary  equip 
ment,  and  I  was  only  too  glad  of  the  delay.  Lake 
Tahoe  is  really  very  beautiful.  The  water  is  singu 
larly  clear.  Even  on  coral  banks  in  the  Indian 
Ocean,  atolls  rising  from  an  almost  unfathomable 
depth  nearly  perpendicularly,  and  celebrated  for 
the  extraordinary  translucency  of  the  blue  water 
that  surrounds  them,  have  I  never  seen  to  greater 
depths.  On  a  calm,  clear,  bright  day,  when  the 
surface  of  the  lake  is  unruffled,  a  white  plate  can 
easily  be  discerned  a  hundred  feet  beneath  its  tranquil 

R  2 


244  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

waters.  The  counties  of  Eldorado  and  Placer  in 
California,  and  Washoe,  Ormsby,  and  Douglas  in 
Nevada,  share  it  between  them.  Its  greatest  depth 
is  1700  feet,  its  length  twenty-two  miles,  and  width 
about  ten  miles. 

After  a  swim  we  repaired  to  the  boat,  where  our 
fisherman  awaited  us,  and  judge  of  our  surprise  when 
the  means  of  capture  met  our  astonished  gaze.  A 
huge  cod-line,  armed  with  a  hook  large  enough  to 
kill  a  shark,  was  the  rude  and  unsportsmanlike  im 
plement  used  for  killing  the  speckled  beauties,  whose 
good  looks  we  had  both  so  much  admired.  No  play 
and  no  sport  could  possibly  be  obtained,  as  neck  and 
crop  by  main  force  the  wretched  fish  is  bundled  into 
the  boat.  Of  course  fishing  under  such  circumstances 
was  a  "  dead  sell,"  and  not  having  our  own  gear  with 
us,  nothing  could  be  done.  The  Tahoe  hotel  was 
exceedingly  comfortable,  and  I  can  hardly  recommend 
a  pleasanter  or  more  charming  spot  for  any  one 
willing  to  linger  a  week  amid  delightful  scenery, 
with  the  certain  knowledge  of  returning  each  day 
after  his  wanderings  to  a  good  dinner ;  but  should  he 
be  an  angler,  let  him  remember  to  bring  his  own  rod. 

Our  next  day  was  somewhat  eventful.  It  was 
polling  day  for  California,  and  instead  of  being  con 
veyed  directly  across  the  lake  to  meet  the  coach  for 
Carson,  we  were  trotted  round  to  accommodate  the 
different  voters  whose  patriotism  demanded  their 
presence  at  the  poll.  The  cruise  was%  certainly 
pleasant  enough,  and  one  could  hardly  fail  to  admire 
the  beauty  of  all  around,  but  the  delay  nearly  necessi 
tated  our  spending  the  night  in  Carson,  an  event, 


NIGHT  EWE  ON  A  "  COW-CATCHER."         245 

under  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  our  being  pressed 
for  time,  devoutly  to  be  dreaded.  On  arriving  at  the 
pier,  we  were,  as  I  expected,  several  hours  late  for  the 
train ;  and  not  even  the  driving  of  Hank  Monk, 
Mark  Twain's  "  bete  noir,"  served  to  do  us  any  good. 

Carson,  the  capital  town  of  Nevada,  seemed  a 
bustling  thriving  spot.  The  shops  appeared  good 
and  the  streets  crowded,  but  there  was  nothing  of  any 
particular  interest  to  be  seen  or  done,  and  we  wanted 
to  get  on.  All  the  passenger  trains  for  that  day  had 
departed,  and  our  only  chance  being  that  the  manager 
of  the  line  would  give  us  permission  to  travel  up  on 
one  of  the  freight  trains  during  the  night,  we  sent  in 
our  cards  and  requested  an  interview.  This  gentle 
man  was  no  exception  to  the  rest  of  his  countrymen 
with  whom  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  being  brought 
into  contact ;  and  being  as  kind  and  obliging  as  all 
the  educated  Americans  I  have  ever  come  across 
invariably  are  to  Englishmen  who  require  a  favour 
and  ask  for  it  civilly,  he  readily  gave  the  necessary 
order,  which  enabled  us  to  reach  Virginia  City  with 
out  stopping.  At  10  P.M.  our  train  started.  The 
waggons  were  all  quite  full ;  the  standing  room  on 
the  engine  (already  pretty  well  crowded  by  the 
driver,  stoker,  and  conductor)  was  hot  and  dirty ;  so 
a  good-natured  clerk  belonging  to  the  company,  who 
came  down  to  see  us  off,  recommended  our  sitting  just 
over  the  cow-catcher  in  front  of  the  engine. 

I  remember  once  seeing  in  '  Punch  '  a  cartoon  which 
represented  a  director  somewhat  similarly  placed,  with 
the  exception,  that  I  think  he  had  a  glass  of  grog  and 
an  arm-chair.  I  did  not  envy  his  position  even  then, 


246  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

but  little  thought  that  circumstances  over  which  I 
had  no  control  would  have  ever  led  me  to  be  situated 
infinitely  worse  off.  Up  we  both  scrambled,  the 
whistle  screamed,  and  .  holding  on  tightly  by  a 
stanchion,  we  dashed  forward  into  darkness.  Our 
billet  had  certainly  the  sensation  of  novelty  to  re 
commend  it,  and  after  confidence  became  restored  by 
getting  over  the  first  half-dozen  miles  in  safety,  we 
lighted  our  pipes,  and  began  somewhat  to  relish  our 
queer  ride.  As  well  as  we  could  make  out,  the  line 
seemed  occasionally  to  run  over  v  ground  somewhat 
similar  in  places  to  Cape  Horn  on  the  Union  Pacific. 
Lights  and  fires  at  times  glimmered  in  the  valleys 
many  feet  beneath  us,  and  an  occasional  streak  like 
silver  told  us  that  we  passed  a  stream.  Going  through 
the  tunnels  produced  an  odd  sensation.  However,  on 
the  whole  we  both  enjoyed  the  trip,  and  in  a  few  hours 
our  journey  ended  by  the  engine  suddenly  detaching 
itself  from  its  burden,  and  halting  at  a  "  Round  house" 
about  a  mile  from  the  city. 

The  conductor  I  imagine  went  with  his  freight,  as 
he  did  not  take  our  fare  and  we  never  saw  him  again  ; 
the  stoker  disappeared  likewise,  and  the  driver  was 
of  an  uncommunicative  and  slightly  morose  disposi 
tion,  not  given  to  answer  questions.  "  Where  are  we 
to  go  ?  "  asked  H.  "  The  engine  stays  here,"  was  his 
laconic  reply ;  and  almost  intimating  by  his  silence 
that  we  might  go  to  the  d — 1  if  it  pleased  us,  he  also 
vanished  from  our  view. 

Our  position  was  so  ludicrous  and  absurd  that  we 
both  fairly  screamed  with  laughter.  Alone  on  an 
engine,  in  the  dark,  hampered  with  a  lot  of  luggage, 


VIRGINIA  CITY.  247 


and  not  knowing  where  on  earth  we  were,  for  a  few 
minutes  we  could  only  look  at  each  other  and  roar. 
There  seemed  every  prospect  of  our  spending  the 
night  by  the  wayside,  when  fortunately  we  discovered 
a  couple  of  men  smoking  in  the  engine-house,  who 
were  of  a  more  friendly  and  amiable  disposition  than 
the  driver.     They  allowed  us  to  leave  our  baggage 
in  a  place  of  safety,  and  telling  us  the  town  was  about 
a  mile  off,  pointed  out  the  way,  and  H.  shouldering  a 
light  portmanteau,  we    again    started  in  the  dark. 
Tripping  over  railway   sleepers,   barking  our  shins 
against   unseen   obstacles,   at    last   we   reached   the 
town,  a  couple  of  as  disreputable  looking  objects  as 
well   could   be  imagined.     The  road  between  Lake 
Tahoe  and  Carson  is   far   and  away  the  dirtiest  in 
the  West,  which  is  saying  a  very  great  deal ;   and 
the  blacks  gathered  on  the  engine,  lying  over  the 
coating   of  dust  picked  up   during  our  drive  with 
Hank    Monk,  rendered   us   simply   filthy.     H.  also 
carried  his  portmanteau   himself,  a  thing  very  few 
free-born  Americans  ever  dream  of  doing,  and  the 
remarks  that  greeted  us  on  passing  through  a  some 
what  disreputable  portion  of  the  town  were,  if  not 
complimentary,  at  least  good-natured  and  amusing. 
"Where  are  you  poor  beggars  going  to?"  " Pretty 
well  played  out  I  guess?"  and  "Have  a  drink?" 
were    the    various    comments   of  the   sympathising 
"  innocents/'  who  evidently  took  us  for  discharged 
miners  or  workmen  on  the  tramp.     At  last  we  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  comfortably  settled   in   an  hotel, 
and  were  glad  enough  to  turn  in  after  our  adven 
turous  but  somewhat  fatiguing  journey. 


2-18  THE  TWO  AMEBICAS. 

Next  day  I  presented  my  introduction  to  Messrs. 
Mackay  and  Fair,  who  were  exceedingly  kind,  and 
sent  one  of  their  foremen  to  show  and  explain  the 
workings  of  their  mine. 

Our  first  visit  was  to  the  robing-room,  where,  after 
divesting  ourselves  of  every  stitch  of  clothing,  we 
were  soon  equipped  in  full  miner's  costume,  of  shirt, 
trowsers,  thick  stockings,  hoots,  and  an  old  hat.  Thus 
apparelled  we  were  conducted  to  the  mouth  of  the 
shaft,  and  holding  tightly  to  an  iron  bar  running 
across  the  cage  which  held  us,  we  rapidly  descended 
into  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  Fifteen  hundred  feet 
were  soon  run  down,  and  stepping  out  of  the  cage 
we  were  introduced  to  Mr.  Lamb,  the  leading  foreman 
of  the  gang  of  hands  at  present  working,  who  giving 
us  each  a  lantern,  conducted  us  round  the  various 
workings,  passages,  and  shafts  ;  pointing  out  what  he 
deemed  interesting,  and  explaining  everything  we 
saw.  The  heat  in  places  was  intense,  but  ventila 
tion  effected  by  engines  worked  by  compressed  air 
rendered  it  perfectly  healthy.  No  noxious  gases  are 
ever  developed,  and  naked  lights  are  carried  freely 
and  without  danger.  In  each  shaft  was  placed  a 
barrel  of  iced  water,  from  which  the  tired  miners 
drank  copiously,  as,  stripped  to  their  trowsers  and 
pouring  with  sweat,  they  from  time  to  time  repaired 
to  them  for  this  grateful  refreshment. 

The  quality  of  ore  obtained  in  the  various  work 
ings  varied  considerably,  but  some  was  of  immense 
value,  and  so  thoroughly  impregnated  with  gold 
that  even  by  the  dull  light  of  the  miner's  candle 
we  could  see  the  yellow  flecks  that  betokened  the 


VISIT  TO  A  SILVER  MINE.  249 

presence  of  the  precious  metal.  In  these  places  we 
were  literally  surrounded  by  silver.  The  ground  we 
trod  on  was  silver,  almost  pure,  and  the  sides  of  the 
shaft  and  the  roof  were  formed  of  the  same  substance. 
A  square,  formed  by  cuttings  some  200  feet  long, 
was  almost  entirely  composed  of  this  extraordinarily 
valuable  deposit,  and  according  to  the  most  reliable 
authority  the  estimated  value  of  what  we  ourselves 
beheld  was  £74,000,000  sterling.  The  work  on  the 
men  is  severe,  but  as  none  receive  less  than  sixteen 
shillings  a  day,  and  a  foreman  gets  £750  a  year, 
there  is  little  difficulty  in  providing  as  many  hands  as 
are  required.  As  the  ore  is  excavated  from  the  mine 
the  vacant  space  is  carefully  shored  up  with  timber, 
and  eventually  a  solid  mass  of  wood  replaces  the 
abstracted  metal.  It  was  singular  to  observe  the 
commencement  of  the  "  find "  in  the  shafts.  As 
regular  as  possible  were  the  marks  which  betokened 
the  presence  of  the  metal,  which  was  preceded  by  dirt, 
clay,  and  porphyry.  The  end  of  a  worked-out  shaft 
always  finished  by  showing  silver,  porphyry,  clay,  and 
dirt,  in  as  regular  a  succession  as  the  strata  through 
which  we  entered.  I  was  surprised  at  the  extreme 
dryness  of  the  workings  ;  hardly  a  drop  of  water  was 
to  be  found  in  any  of  them  except  what  was  used  for 
drinking  purposes,  and  occasionally  water  had  abso 
lutely  to  be  pumped  on  the  timbers  to  prevent  dry  rot. 
Such  enormous  excavations  as  are  here  perpetually 
being  carried  on  necessarily  take  proportionately 
enormous  masses  of  timber  to  replace  them. 
Hundreds  of  thousands  of  square  feet  of  ore  have  to 
be  replaced  by  an  equally  great  quantity  of  wood, 


250  THE  TWO  AMEEICAS. 

and  whole  forests  are  soon  buried  deep  in  the  inmost 
recesses  of  the  earth,  peradventure  after  the  lapse  of 
many  years  to  undergo  a  strange  reconstitution,  and 
bother  some  scientific  discoverer  as  to  how  on  earth 
such  enormous  masses  of — whatever  it  may  be — got 
together.  The  mere  conveyance  of  these  forests, 
doomed  to  such  premature  burial,  was  in  itself  a 
herculean  labour,  until  the  managers  of  the  mine,  at 
the  cost 'of  about  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars, 
built  a  water  flume  fifteen  miles  in  length,  which, 
from  the  heavily-wooded  summits  of  the  Sierras 
west  and  north-west  from  Huffaker,  belonging  to 
the  company,  conveys  at  little  expense  and  with 
extraordinary  rapidity  all  the  timber  they  can 
possibly  require.  The  flume  is  constructed  of  planks 
two  inches  thick,  and  built  in  the  shape  of  the  letter 
Y.  To  gain  a  uniform  grade  it  was  found  necessary 
to  build  it  on  trestle  work  and  stringers  from  one  end 
to  the  other,  and  this  framework,  which  in  some  places 
is  forty-eight  feet  high,  is  substantial  enough  to  support 
a  narrow-gauge  railway,  it  being  thoroughly  braced 
longitudinally  and  across.  All  the  main  supports, 
which  are  five  feet  apart,  are  firmly  set  in  mud  sills ; 
the  boxes  rest  in  brackets  placed  four  feet  apart,  and 
these  again  rest  upon  substantial  stringers.  Mr. 
Fair  described  a  trip  he  took  by  nailing  a  piece  of 
board  at  the  end  of  one  of  the  Y-shaped  boxes,  and 
being  floated  down  by  the  workmen. 

A  strip  of  w^ood  nailed  across  furnished  a  seat, 
and  being  once  started,  away  he  flew  at  the  rate  of 
twenty  miles  an  hour  for  a  commencement.  The 
average  grade  is  sixteen  inches  to  sixteen  feet,  but 


EARTHQUAKES.  251 


the  sharpest  fall  is  three  in  six,  which  is,  however, 
only  for  two  hundred  feet,  and  over  this  he  flew  at 
such  a  pace  that  he  could  hardly  gain  breath.  H. 
and  myself  were  both  extremely  anxious  for  a  sail  on 
such  queer  waters,  and  begged  hard  for  a  ride.  Mr. 
Fair,  however,  declared  the  risk  too  great,  that  he 
had  only  gone  down  as  a  matter  of  duty,  and  that 
nothing  would  ever  induce  him  to  do  so  again.  As  the 
workmen  go  down  it  almost  every  day,  this  was  all 
rubbish ;  however,  he  would  not  give  us  a  mount,  and 
we  were  both  a  good  deal  disappointed  at  his  raising 
our  curiosity  without  gratifying  it. 

At  one  of  the  richest  deposits  our  guide  begged 
we  would  take  a  sample  of  the  ore,  and  seizing  a 
pick,  I  set  to  work  at  the  part  being  cleared  out.  It 
was  astonishing  with  what  surprising  ease  the  pick 
detached  large  masses  of  metal,  and  selecting  a  small 
piece  strongly  marked  with  gold,  I  took  it  away  in 
remembrance  of  our  visit.  I  never  saw  anything 
more  interesting  than  these  extraordinary  mines,  and 
we  both  felt  quite  bewildered  at  the  enormous 
amount  of  wealth  we  beheld  all  round  us. 

In  connection  with  these  mines,  Mr.  Gr.  related  a 
singular  fact  which  I  fancy  is  not  generally  known, 
but  which  must  I  imagine  upset  many  a  cherished 
theory  on  the  subject  of  earthquakes. 

While  he  was  a  resident  in  Virginia  City,  an 
earthquake  of  unusual  severity  one  day  terrified  all 
its  inhabitants.  Houses  shook,  roofs  fell  in,  and 
frightened  women  and  children  rushed  into  the 
streets  thinking  their  last  hour  surely  had  arrived. 
After  a  few  terrible  shocks,  the  commotion  subsided 


252  TEE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

and  tranquillity  again  reigned  in  the  shaken  town. 
Immediate  apprehension  for  their  own  satety  having 
ceased,  the  cry  instantly  became,  "The  miners  !"  Away 
rushed  mothers  and  children  to  the  mouths  of  the 
various  shafts  that  honeycombed  the  mountain. 
-Again  terror,  more  intense  than  that  caused  by  the 
fear  of  personal  safety,  seized  the  mother  and  the 
wife,  and  half  dead  with  excitement,  they  reached  the 
pit's  mouth.  The  miners,  astonished,  looked  at  them, 
and  could  not  make  out  what  was  the  matter.  The 
earthquake  !  "  Guess  they  had  felt  no  earthquake. 
What  the  thunder  was  up  ?"  So  indeed  it  was ;  and 
fifteen  hundred  feet  under  ground  not  the  slightest 
movement  of  a  shock,  so  severe  on  the  surface  as  to 
cause  the  most  intense  alarm  even  among  a  popula 
tion  comparatively  inured  to  such  visitations,  was 
even  felt. 

Having  been  through  all  the  workings,  a  task  that 
took  nearly  three  hours  in  an  atmosphere  somewhat 
resembling  the  hot  room  in  a  Turkish  bath,  we  bid 
adieu  to  our  good-natured  conductor,  regretting  that 
our  unscientific  education  had  not  enabled  us  better 
to  follow  and  comprehend  the  many  descriptions  he 
so  kindly  tried  to  make  us  understand ;  and  once 
more  getting  on  the  cage  we  ascended  to  earth. 

On  our  arrival  we  found  a  warm  bath  in  readiness, 
and  a  glass  of  excellent  whisky-and-water  soon  made 
us  fit  to  examine  the  next  process  in  the  working  of 
the  metal. 

Mr.  John  Mackay  now  kindly  became  our  pilot, 
and  showed  the  first  process,  where  the  large  lumps 
of  ore,  having  been  brought  up  from  the  mine,  are 


GOLD.  253 


crushed  by  what,  not  knowing  its  correct  name  in 
machinery,  I  shall  call  a  "  mouth  of  iron."  These 
iron  jaws  having  broken  in  pieces  the  larger  lumps, 
they  are  passed  under  stampers,  ponderous  iron  rods 
shod  with  steel,  which,  rising  and  falling  heavily  with 
unceasing  regularity,  soon  pulverise  the  already 
broken  ore  lying  beneath  their  massive  hammers. 
Water  passing  through  this  latter  machinery  turns 
the  crushed  metal  into  a  kind  of  thick  paste,  which 
then  passes  into  large  circular  pans ;  where  water, 
quicksilver,  and  certain  chemicals  being  added,  the 
whole  is  kept  constantly  in  motion  by  iron  rakes 
radiating  from  the  centre  of  the  vat  and  revolving 
rapidly  round  it.  The  quicksilver  seizes  on  the  gold 
and  silver,  and  finally  settles  in  large  flannel  bags 
placed  in  boxes  separate  from  but  near  the  bottom  of 
the  vats,  and  this  amalgam  is  fit  for  the  furnace. 
Water  carries  off  the  superfluous  dirt,  but  as  this  is 
often  charged  with  precious  metal,  it  is  subjected  to 
a  still  further  examination  by  being  caused  to  pass 
over  coarse  blankets  laid  on  a  small  wavy  kind  of  bed, 
which  being  charged  with  more  quicksilver  soon 
grasps  the  minute  particles  which  have  escaped 
seizure  in  the  former  process,  and  forming  more 
amalgam  likewise  becomes  fit  for  smelting.  The 
amalgam  being  now  all  collected  is  placed  in  iron 
retorts  and  subjected  to  the  action  of  fire.  The  gold 
and  silver  mass  soon  becomes  liquid,  the  quicksilver 
passing  away  in  a  vapour,  which  being  caused  to 
pass  through  water,  again  consolidates  itself  and 
becomes  available  for  further  use.  The  molten 
metal  is  then  cast  into  bricks  which  contain  a  certain 


254  THE   TWO  ANEEICAS. 

amount  of  silver  and  a  certain  quantity  of  gold.  To 
determine  the  accurate  value  of  each  is  the  next 
process.  A  corner  of  each  brick  is  chipped  off  and 
sent  to  the  assayer,  who,  determining  the  exact  value 
of  each  metal  in  the  brick  it  belongs  to,  registers  the 
same  and  has  the  correct  value  stamped  on  the  huge 
ingot,  which  is  then  fit  for  the  market,  and,  I  need 
hardly  observe,  finds  a  ready  sale.  The  whole 
process,  even  to  a  tyro  like  myself,  was  exceedingly 
curious ;  but  to  a  man  versed  in  machinery,  who 
could  understand  the  beauty  of  the  powerful  engines, 
etc.,  he  saw  in  play  all  around  him,  I  can  imagine  it 
to  be  still  more  interesting  and  instructive. 

Virginia  City  is  well  worth  a  visit  on  its  own 
account,  even  without  a  trip  to  the  mines.  Few 
towns  in  the  world  are  so  lively,  and  a  very  few 
years  back  the  lively  nature  of  its  inhabitants 
exhibited  itself  in  constant  shootings  when  they 
imagined  things  were  getting  slow.  I  was  told  by 
an  old  resident  before  I  went  there  that  it  \vas  a 
somewhat  rapid  place.  "  If  you  are  in  luck,"  he 
said,  "  you  ought  to  get  a  man  for  breakfast ;"  which 
expression,  I  afterwards  lenrned,  meant  that  an 
account  of  a  murder  should  be  served  up  in  the 
morning  paper  with  my  matutinal  meal.  Every 
other  shop  in  the  principal  streets  seemed  to  be  a 
drinking  saloon,  and  in  most  of  them  were  established 
"  hells  "  for  the  carrying  on  of  the  popular  game  of 
"  faro."  Drinking,  gambling,  and  other  unmention 
able  vices  seem  the  chief  occupation  of  the  above- 
ground  population.  Underground  I  had  seen  them 
hard  at  work,  and  now  I  could  witness  their  ideas  of 


H.  AND  THE  MINER.  255 

enjoyment.  The  two  principal  streets  run  parallel 
to  each  other  and  are  about  half  a  mile  long.  One 
consists  of  shops,  stores,  gambling-houses,  and  drink- 
ing-bars,  the  latter  greatly  predominating;  and  the 
other  entirely  of  houses  kept  by  Phrynes  of  various 
and  manifold  nationalities.  Wages  being  high, 
everything  was  proportionately  extravagant,  and  the 
ordinary  charge  of  the  common  street  shoe-black 
was  a  quarter-dollar  (a  shilling)  for  cleaning  one's 
boots. 

I  had  expected  to  have  seen  people  wearing  the 
proverbial  red  flannel  that  is  supposed  to  designate 
the  son  of  toil  in  this  particular  industry,  but  it 
was  quite  the  reverse  ;  "  biled  shirts,"  the  western 
American  name  of  white  ones,  were  the  rage,  and 
H.  and  myself  suffered  severely  by  our  contrast  to 
these  wonderfully  got-up  gentry.  Mr.  F.  had  put 
our  names  down  as  hon.  members  of  the  Washoe 
Club,  but  never  dreaming  that  there  was  more  than 
one  club  in  such  a  place,  we  omitted  to  inquire  its 
name,  thinking  u  the  club  "  would  be  sufficient.  On 
going  there  we  missed  our  way,  and  H.,  addressing 
a  gentleman  with  flashy  diamond  studs  in  a  very 
much  "  biled  shirt,"  asked  him  to  be  kind  enough  to 
tell  us  the  way  to  the  club.  "The  club!"  he  replied. 
"What  club?"  H.  was  nonplussed,  but  managed, 
Englishman-like,  to  stammer,  "  Oh — ah — why — don't 
you  know?  the  club."  Our  friend  looked  at  us 
both  from  top  to  toe  with  a  perplexed  expression  of 
countenance,  evidently  taking  stock  of  our  probable 
social  position.  Neither  of  us  had  diamond  studs  or 
a  black  coat.  I  wore  a  rather  seedy  hat.  I  think  the 


256  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

hat  decided  him,  for  with  a  spit  of  relief  he  answered, 
"  Guess  you  want  the  Miner's  Club  :  straight  down 
two  blocks  and  turn  to  your  right."  H.  looked 
bewildered,  but  it  was  somewhat  more  than  delicious 
to  see  a  member  of  "  White's,"  the  "  Marlbor'ough," 
and  goodness  knows  how  many  of  the  best  clubs  in 
London,  quietly  pooh-poohed  for  not  wearing  a 
"  biled  shirt,"  and  when  the  possessor  of  the  diamond 
studs  was  out  of  hearing,  we  both  laughed  till  our 
sides  ached.  Eventually  we  did  arrive  at  the  club, 
and  found  it  an  exceedingly  nice  and  comfortable  one, 
and  every  member  in  it  quite  willing  to  be  kind  and 
obliging. 

Before  1861  the  State  of  Nevada,  now  the  richest 
mining  country  in  the  world,  formed  part  of  Utah ; 
and  prior  to  that,  in  1848,  being  a  part  of  Alfa 
California,  it  belonged  to  Mexico.  The  whole 
country  is  more  or  less  covered  with  mines,  good, 
bad,  or  indifferent,  and  their  names  on  the  "  Share 
List"  are  legion.  The  Comstock  lode  is  pretty  well 
known  throughout  the  world ;  for  the  others,  those 
who  care  about  such  things  know  well  enough  where 
to  get  detailed  accounts,  and  those  who  do  not  would 
not  care  to  see  them  enumerated  here.  With  regard 
to  its  wealth,  I  may  state  without  exaggeration  that 
the  streets  of  Virginia  City  are  paved  with  silver. 
A  curious  statement,  but  nevertheless  a  true  one,  as 
the  metal  used  in  laying  down  the  roads  has  been 
found  on  analysis  to  be  composed  of  dirt  which  if 
worked  would  return  a  very  fair  profit  per  ton. 

At  about  two  o'clock  one  morning  I  was  awakened 
by  bugles,  horns,  whistles,  and  all  kinds  of  music. 


VIEG1NIA  CITY.  257 


Wondering  what  new  and  peculiar  phase  of  life  in 
America  I  was  about  to  witness,  I  jumped  out  of  bed, 
and  on  throwing  open  my  window  needed  no  inter 
preter  to  explain  the  cause.  The  whole  town  seemed 
in  a  blaze.  Fire-engines  shrieked,  men  shouted,  and 
women  in  scanty  apparel  rushed  wildly  about  the 
passages  of  the  hotel.  I  proceeded  to  rouse  out  my 
companion,  and  after  a  couple  of  bad  shots  at  his 
door,  of  which  I  forgot  the  number,  discovered  him 
sleeping  tranquilly  through  all  the  turmoil.  On 
getting  into  the  street  we  found  that  a  livery  stable 
about  a  block  off  had  been  entirely  destroyed,  and 
that  the  Odd-fellows'  Hall,  a  handsome  brick  edifice, 
was  now  battling  with  the  flames.  At  one  time 
there  was  every  prospect  of  Virginia  City  emulating 
Chicago  in  its  holocaust.  The  houses  are  nearly  all 
built  of  wood,  and  on  their  shingle  roofs  a  perfect 
hailstorm  of  fire  was  being  rained  down.  Many 
people  packed  up  all  their  effects,  and  piling  them 
in  the  streets,  quietly  sat  on  them,  waiting  to  see 
how  things  would  turn  out ;  while  others  repaired  to 
the  saloons,  considerately  opened  for  so  festive  an 
occasion,  and  nerved  themselves  by  a  morning  cock 
tail  for  the  coming  struggle.  The  fire  brigade, 
a  volunteer  one,  did  its  duty  well,  and  after  a  hard 
fight  the  flames  were  got  under  and  the  excitement 
subsided. 

Having  exhausted  the  chief  wonders,  and  visited 
the  commencement  of  a  shaft  Messrs.  Mackay  and 
Fair  intend  running  4000  feet  deep,  we  took  our 
departure,  and  after  a  tiresome  delay  at  Eeno,  an  un 
important  little  town,  twenty-one  miles  from  Virginia 

s 


258  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

City,  we  once  more  found  ourselves  in  a  Palace 
sleeping-car,  and  en  route  to  the  East. 

We  had  breakfast  at  Humbolt,  a  small  station  with 
a  scanty  garden,  in  which  was  a  pond  and  a  couple 
of  Mandarin  ducks.  The  country  all  around  is  barren 
and  arid.  Alkali  incrustations  render  white  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  and  sage-brush  seems  the  only 
vegetable  produce.  On  the  platform  lay  a  huge  mass 
of  sulphur  in  a  solid  lump ;  it  was  a  desolate  place, 
and  we  were  glad  to  get  on. 

The  Humbolt  canon  is  curious:  the  river  running 

*  o 

through  it  rather  slimy  and  green.  We  dined  at 
Battle  Mountain;  elevation  4508  feet.  Slight  im 
provement  in  the  aspect  of  the  country.  More 
grazing  land,  and  a  few  cattle  were  to  be  seen  from 
the  train.  A  lot  of  children  were  in  the  car  who 
raced  about  from  end  to  end,  knocking  over  books 
and  incessantly  disturbing  one's  papers.  Occasionally 
they  varied  the  amusement  by  howling  loudly,  while 
their  mothers  looked  complacently  on  without  en 
deavouring  to  stop  them,  evidently  well  pleased  with 
the  healthy  condition  of  the  disagreeable  little  animals' 
lungs.  I  certainly  did  pine  for  the  ease  and  quiet 
of  an  English  first-class  carriage,  in  which,  thank 
Heaven,  such  bores  can  be  avoided.  We  fed  again  at 
Elko ;  elevation  5065  feet.  Badly  divided  time,  only 
a  few  hours  having  elapsed  since  the  previous  meal. 
We  passed  the  one  thousand  mile  tree  west  from 
Omaha,  and  at  last  arrived  at  the  Mormon  town  of 
Ogden,  in  the  territory  of  Utah.  Here  we  had 
breakfast  and  parted  company — H.  going  to  Denver, 
to  shoot  in  the  North  and  South  Parks  ;  while  I 


FUNERAL  OF  AN  APOSTLE.  259 

continued  my  journey  towards  Salt  Lake  City,  to 
study  Mormonism  in  its  own  headquarters. 

I  arrived  there  on  Sunday  September  5th,  in  time 
to  witness  the  funeral  solemnities  of  one  of  Brigham 
Young's  shining  lights — Mr.  George  A.  Smith;  his 
First  Councillor,  Church  historian,  and  President  of 
the  Twelve  Apostles.  Tliis  Apostle  became  identified 
with  the  Mormon  Church  in  its  very  infancy,  and 
participated  in  its  travels  and  trials  from  New  York 
to  Ohio,  to  Missouri,  to  Illinois,  and  finally  to  Utah. 
Most  people  in  Utah  suspected  him  of  having  been 
the  willing  instrument  that  Brigham  used  in  com 
passing  the  massacre  of  the  emigrants  at  Mountain 
Meadows ;  and  had  Mr.  Smith  lived  another  year,  he 
would  in  all  probability  have  been  indicted  and  tried 
for  that  fearful  crime.  The  Tabernacle — a  huge 
building,  looking  at  a  distance  more  like  an  enormous 
inverted  boat  on  a  pedestal  than  anything  else  I  can 
think  of—was  crowded  to  suffocation.  Over  ten 
thousand  people  were  congregated  within  its  walls, 
and  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  have  had  a 
better  opportunity  for  inspecting  these  strange  beings. 

I  was  chiefly  struck  by  the  extreme  ugliness  of  the 
greater  portion  of  their  women,  and  by  the  shocking 
manner  in  which  they  were  dressed.  I  never  saw 
such  a  lot  of  frights,  and  can  quite  understand  their 
jumping  at  polygamy,  as  a  last  chance  of  becoming 
entitled  to  even  the  fractional  part  of  a  husband, 
after  failing  to  secure  an  entire  one  in  the  various 
parts  of  the  world  they  may  have  come  from.  The 
plainest  women  find  no  difficulty  in  getting  married. 
Becoming  servants  immediately  after  the  ceremony, 

8  2 


260  THE   TWO  AMEEICAS. 

in  a  country  where  domestic  labour  is  almost  im 
possible  to  be  procured,  unprepossessing  as  they 
generally  are,  they  represent  a  certain  amount  of 
value  to  their  owners  ;  and  as  they  are  systematically 
worked,  they  soon  a  good  deal  more  than  pay  for 
their  keep.  The  men  looked  thick  and  brutish,  and 
in  no  part  of  the  world  have  I  seen  so  unprepossessing 
a  set  of  whites,  or  such  a  vast  quantity  of  ugly  men 
and  women  congregated  together,  as  were  assembled 
here  to  assist  in  burying  their  departed  Apostle — 
Mr.  Smith. 

While  Brigham  Young  and  some  of  the  Apostles 
were  eulogising  the  departed  saint,  whom  they  en 
dowed  with  every  earthly  virtue,  I  had  time  to 
examine  the  interior  of  the  building.  It  was  taste 
fully  decorated  with  flowers,  and  round  the  gallery 
were  various  inscriptions,  such  as,  "  Brigham,  our 
leader  and  friend'  ;  "  We  thank  Thee,  0  God,  for  a 
Prophet";  "Utah's  best  crop— children."  In  the 
afternoon  I  again  attended  service  in  the  Tabernacle, 
and  this  time  heard  a  sermon  on  secular  matters. 
The  service  was  tedious  and  dragged  out  and 
lengthened  to  a  considerable  extent  by  the  adminis 
tration  to  the  entire  congregation  of  the  sacrament. 
Several  loaves  of  bread  having  been  broken  in  small 
fragments  were  handed  round  to  the  people,  who 
never  left  their  pews ;  and  shortly  after  large  mugs 
of  water  followed.  The  organ  was  a  fine  one;  and 
the  music  and  singing  fairly  good.  One  of  the 
"  Twelve  Apostles "  addressed  the  saints  (they  all 
call  themselves  saints  in  Utah)  and  took  them  to 
task  roundly  on  their  various  short-comings.  He 


A  MORMON  SERMON.  261 

complained  that  they  were  paying1  too  much  attention 
to  the  laying  up  of  wealth,  while  at  the  same  time 
they  begrudged  the  Church  her  accustomed  share ; 
that  they  were  adopting  the  vices  and  had  habits  of  the 
Gentiles  who  had  thrust  themselves  in  among  them, 
and  that  while  \\aiking  in  ihe  streets  he  had  abso 
lutely  seen  saints  smoking  pipes  and  cigars,  without 
even  having  the  grace  to  seem  ashamed  of  such  a 
thing.  He  believed  some  of  them  drank  ;  but  at  any 
rate  they  would  never  prosper  if  they  smoked  or 
took  snuff.  The  women  caught  it  next.  They  were 
going  to  the  bad  also.  Many  of  them  used  tea  and 
coffee,  and  perhaps  sugar.  They  were  departing 
from  the  simplicity  of  that  mode  of  life  laid  down  as 
best  by  their  teachers,  and  he  could  hardly  tell  to 
what  depravities  such  behaviour  might  not  lead. 
He  gave  tongue  for  about  half  an  hour,  and  talked 
more  bosh  during  that  space  of  time  than  any  man  I 
ever  heard  before  or  since. 

I  put  up  at  a  Mormon  hotel,  "  The  Townsend 
House,"  and  can  strongly  recommend  it.  The 
proprietor,  a  Mormon,  was  extremely  obliging,  and 
does  all  in  his  power  to  make  his  guests  comfortable. 
He  took  me  to  call  on  Brigham  Young,  and  drove 
me  about  the  city,  showing  and  explaining  the 
various  objects  of  interest.  Just  about  this  time  the 
excitement  caused  by  the  trial  of  Lee  for  his  partici 
pation  in  the  Mountain  Meadow  massacre  was  still 
going  on ;  and  many  of  the  atrocities  perpetrated  by 
the  Mormons  were  constantly  being  published  in  the 
daily  papers.  There  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  but 
that  the  leaders  of  the  Mormon  Church  encouraged 


262  THE   TWO   AMERICAS. 

assassination  in  the  most  methodical  and  wholesale 
manner ;  the  confessions  of  some  of  their  own 
disciples  who  were  actually  engaged  in  these  out 
rages  showed  that  such  atrocities  actually  did  occur ; 
and  to  me  it  seems  strange  that  the  Government  of 
the  country  did  not,  and  do  not,  take  some  active 
steps  in  avenging  the  victims. 

Putting  aside  the  wickedness  and  absurdity  of  the 
religion,  and  the  unscrupulous  villainy  of  the  sacer 
dotal  power,  which  in  Mormonism  is  omnipotent,  there 
is  much  to  be  admired  in  the  industrious,  frugal,  and 
simple  customs  of  the  people.  Finding  a  desert, 
they  converted  it  into  a  garden,  and  Salt  Lake  City 
is  laid  out  with  the  strictest  regard  to  both  health 
and  convenience.  Every  street  is  about  eighty  yards 
wide,  and  has  broad  side  walks  well  sheltered  by 
locust  or  other  ornamental  trees  ;  streams  of  clear 
running  water  border  each  side,  and  every  house  is 
surrounded  by  a  garden  laden  with  fruit-trees.  The 
town  is  built  on  a  gentle  slope,  behind  it  are  the  lofty 
ranges  of  the  Wahsatch  Mountains,  and  I  doubt  if  it 
be  possible  to  find  any  town  in  the  States  better 
planned  for  either  comfort  or  scenic  effect. 

Gradually  handsome  buildings  are  beginning  to 
be  constructed.  The  Temple,  when  finished,  will 
certainly  be  an  attractive  and  ornamental  structure, 
its  very  unusual  style  of  architecture  perhaps  con 
stituting  its  principal  charm.  The  Prophet's 
favourite  wife,  Amelia,  has  had  a  handsome  house 
just  finished  for  her  particular  benefit ;  and  wealthy 
Mormons  in  various  parts  of  the  town  are  building 
residences  that  would  be  considered  fine  anywhere. 


THE  TROWEL  BAYONET.  .  263 

Fresh  discoveries  of  mineral  wealth  are  almost  daily 
taking  place;  and  when  confidence,  so  entirely 
destroyed  by  that  gigantic  swindle  the  "  Emma 
Mine,"  again  returns,  and  once  more  Gentile  capital 
becomes  invested  in  the  country,  I  expect  to  see  not 
only  Salt  Lake  become  a  wealthy  and  prosperous 
town,  but  the  Mormon  faith  rapidly  become  shaken, 
and  the  power  of  their  Prophet  and  his  apostles 
sensibly  decline. 

Not  far  from  the  town  are  two  sulphur  springs, 
over  one  of  which  has  been  built  a  bath-house.  The 
water  is  kept  at  a  temperature  of  90°,  and  besides 
hip-baths  they  have  constructed  a  very  fair  plunge 
one.  A  mile  farther  another  stream  of  strongly- 
impregnated  sulphur  water,  with  about  130°  of  heat, 
rushes  from  beneath  a  solid  rock.  The  odour,  which 
is  extremely  unpleasant,  can  be  detected  at  least 
half  a  mile  off,  and  the  stones  and  herbage  growing 
near  its  banks  are  both  tinted  with  a  brilliant 
emerald  green. 

A  small  garrison  of  United  States  troops  are 
quartered  at  Camp  Douglas,  which  is  built  com 
manding  the  town  and  about  two  miles  from  it, 
Mr.  A.,  the  brother  of  an  old  schoolfellow,  living  at 
the  hotel  I  was  staying  at,  drove  me  over,  and  I  met 
with  every  kindness  and  attention  from  the  officers. 
I  saw  here,  for  the  first  time,  the  new  American 
bayonet,  "  Rice's  trowel  bayonet  with  the  Chilling- 
worth  attachment,"*  and  cannot  speak  too  highly  of 
its  admirable  qualities.  It  is  simply  a  sharp-pointed 
strongly-built  trowel,  of  eleven  inches  in  length, 
*  See  Appendix  B. 


264  THE   TWO  AMEEICAS. 


exclusive  of  handle,  and  three  and  a  half  inches 
broad — quite  sufficiently  formidable  as  a  weapon  of 
offence ;  while  for  throwing  up  cover  rapidly  for 
infantry  troops  exposed  to  an  enemy's  fire  it  is 
simply,  as  a  tool,  unparalleled.  With  it  a  man 
can  chop  wood,  build  a  wall,  bake  a  cake,  and 
stab  or  cut  down  his  enemy.  I  see  no  reason  why, 
without  impairing  its  efficiency,  one  side  should  not 
be  partially  filed  into  a  saw.  An  officer,  who  had 
seen  troops  drilled  to  its  use,  informed  me  that  in 
less  than  ten  minutes  he  saw  a  company  com 
pletely  shelter  themselves  (on  rather  hard  ground 
into  the  bargain)  from  musketry.  Our  "shelter- 
trench  drill,"  with  its  necessary  accompaniment  of 
picks  and  shovels,  is  as  childish  and  grotesque  in 
comparison  to  the  handy  implement  used  by  the 
Americans,  as  the  Indian  bow  in  modern  warfare 
would  be  to  the  Henry  -  Martini  breechloader. 
Another  exceedingly  useful  invention  employed  by 
them  is  the  stacking  "  swivel,"  i.  e.  a  small  hook- 
swivel  placed  on  the  upper  band  of  the  rifle,  which 
weighs  almost  nothing,  and  enables  the  men  to  stack 
their  arms  regardless  of  any  inequality  of  ground. 
AVere  it  the  slightest  use  to  urge  our  War  Depart 
ment  to  adopt  any  improvement  not  emanating  from 
themselves,  I  could  not  advocate  too  strongly  the 
adoption  of  both  these  plans  in  our  own  service. 

Clintons  station  and  hotel  on  the  Great  Salt  Lake 
is  about  a  three  hours'  ride  from  the  town.  The 
country  on  each  side  of  the  line  leading  to  it  is  flat, 
and  in  some  parts  marshy.  A  few  wet  splashes, 
which  we  passed  through  just  before  first  coasting 


THE  GEE  AT  SALT  LAKE.  2G5 

the  lake,  were  covered  with  wild  duck ;  I  also  saw  a 
few  snipe,  and  should  fancy  the  shooting  there  in 
winter  would  be  pretty  good.  The  mosquitos  on 
this  part  of  the  line  were  fierce  and  bloodthirsty  as 
tigers,  and  quite  took  possession  of  the  cars,  driving 
most  of  us  who  were  not  extra  thick-skinned  to  take 
refuge  on  the  platform,  where  the  current  of  air 
prevented  them  effecting  a  lodgment.  After  passing 
Black  Rock  we  stopped  at  Clintons,  nicely  situated  on 
the  Lake,  and  looking  directly  on  Church  and  Ante 
lope  islands.  On  the  former  Brigham  is  accused  of 
having  stowed  away  the  plunder  so  fearfully  obtained 
by  the  massacre  at  Mountain  Meadows.  A  small 
steamboat  for  the  use  of  excursionists  lay  at  a  pier 
near  the  hotel,  and  a  few  bathing  boxes  were  erected 
for  the  use  of  visitors. 

I  was  somewhat  curious  to  test  the  buoyancy  of 
these  waters,  and  shortly  after  arriving  was  floating 
about  on  their  surface.  The  sensation  of  such 
extreme  buoyancy  is  certainly  curious,  and  for  an 
indifferent  swimmer  I  daresay  pleasant.  I  could 
stand  upright  without  motion.  Lying  on  my  back 
I  could  keep  both  feet  entirely  out  of  the  water,  with 
my  arms  also  at  the  same  time  extended  upwards 
to  their  full  stretch.  In  breast  swimming  I  could 
keep  both  legs  above  water  from  the  knee  joints, 
merely  paddling  with  my  hands ;  in  fact,  in  any 
position  it  was  difficult  to  sink.  Swimming  a  distance 
was,  however,  difficult  and  tedious,  as  when  on  my 
breast  the  extraordinary  buoyancy  of  the  water  had 
a  tendency  to  throw  the  feet  and  legs  right  up  in  the 
air,  which  naturally  forced  the  head  forward  and 


266  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

kept  an  unpleasant  strain  on  the  neck  to  secure  its 
elevation.  Diving  was  next  to  impossible,  and  the 
slightest  drop  of  water  getting  into  one's  eyes  caused 
extreme  pain.  The  day  was  fine  and  the  lake  as 
smooth  as  glass,  and  I  pottered  about  very  pleasantly 
for  over  an  hour,  floating  and  paddling  on  its 
surface  experimentalising  with  its  peculiarly  buoyant 
properties,  when  in  one  of  my  efforts  I  got  and 
swallowed  a  mouthful  of  water.  Great  goodness ! 
what  a  mouthful  it  was.  The  most  nauseous  medicine 
I  ever  tasted  was  nectar  to  it,  added  to  which,  it 
possessed  a  burning  acrid  power  that  almost  took  the 
skin  off  my  mouth.  I  tried  no  more  tricks,  and  feel 
convinced  that  the  strongest  swimmer  in  the  world, 
even  the  famed  Captain  Webb,  would  be  unable  to 
live  beyond  thirty  minutes  in  rough  weather  on  Salt 
Lake.  Three  such  mouthfuls  as  I  swallowed  would 
kill  a  water-buffalo  "  let  alone  "  a  man. 

Round  the  lake,  and  extending  for  many  miles  on 
each  side  of  the  long  flat  valley  in  which  it  is  situated, 
runs  a  curious  but  distinctly  marked  water  line  on  the 
hills,  a  hundred  feet  or  so  above  the  water's  present 
level ;  and  at  some  distant  and  long  past  period,  Salt 
Lake  must  have  covered  an  extent  of  ground  at  least 
double  its  present  area. 

Among  the  sage-brush  growing  on  the  large 
alkali  plains  in  the  vicinity  of  Salt  Lake,  there  are 
at  certain  seasons  innumerable  hares,  or  as  people 
persist  in  calling  them  here,  "  jackass  rabbits."  They 
really  are  the  true  prairie  hare  (Lepus  Campestris, 
Bachmaii),  and  not  the  jackass  rabbit  (Lepus  callotis, 
Wagler))  who  is  not  to  be  found  in  either  Utah  or 


SALT  LAKE  CITY.  267 


California;  but  as  every  description  of  hare  or  rabbit, 
with  the  exception  of  the  "  cotton  tail,"  is  called 
"  jackass,"  I  suppose  we  must  let  it  pass  and  adopt  the 
national  cognomen.  A  couple  of  Mormon  gentle 
men,  hearing  I  was  anxious  to  get  a  day  at  them,  very 
kindly  drove  me  out  some  ten  miles  across  the  plains, 
and  passing  the  River  Jordan,  a  muddy  sluggish 
stream  that  runs  into  Salt  Lake,  we  shortly  after 
wards  commenced  operations.  Although  not  the 
best  season  of  the  year,  immense  numbers  of  them 
were  scattered  through  the  sage-brush,  the  only  plant 
growing  on  these  alkali  bottoms.  We  found  them 
rather  wild,  still  they  afforded  good  sport,  and  as  the 
cover  was  in  places  somewhat  thick,  it  required 
tolerably  quick  shooting  to  knock  them  over. 

Judge  H.,  to  whom  I  had  an  introduction,  and 
who  had  been  residing  for  some  years  among  the 
Mormons,  explained  many  of  their  eccentricities,  and 
told  me  many  stories  about  these  extraordinary 
people ;  and  though  tempted  to  give  some  of  the 
benefits  of  his  experience  along  with  my  own  impres 
sions,  and  "  let  out "  on  them,  I  will  be  merciful  to 
my  readers  and  spare  them  a  dissertation  on  such  a 
well-worn  subject  as  Mormonism,  contenting  myself 
with  an  adoption  of  Bret  Harte's  remarks  concern 
ing  the  "  long-tailed  gentry,"  to  whom  in  some  things 
they  are  very  similar,  viz.  "  ways  that  are  dark  and 
tricks  that  are  vain." 

Salt  Lake  City  could  hardly  be  visited  at  a  more 
favourable  time  of  the  year  for  witnessing  it  under 
its  brightest  garb  than  during  the  month  of  Septem 
ber.  The  fruit-trees  were  laden  with  peaches,  apples, 


268  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

plums,  and  pears.  The  gardens  were  brilliant  with 
flowers  of  many  colours.  Trees  with  their  spread 
ing  branches  threw  a  cool  and  grateful  shade  on 
all  the  side  walks.  Sparkling  water  rippled  by 
their  sides.  A  delicious  fragrance  perfumed  the  air, 
and  whatever  one  may  think  of  the  Mormons,  it 
is  impossible  to  go  away  otherwise  than  charmed 
with  their  capital  town.  Utah,  like  Nevada,  Cali 
fornia,  and  many  of  the  Western  States,  abounds  in 
silver.  For  some  inexplicable  reason  the  wise  people 
of  Salt  Lake  City  got  it  into  their  heads  that  I  was  a 
capitalist,  and  I  was  constantly  beset  with  offers  of 
mines  for  a  mere  song,  that  only  required  some 
of  my  superfluous  wealth  to  develop  into  second 
editions  of  the  Comstock  Lode. 

It  is  quite  impossible  for  any  man  with  an  ordinary 
amount  of  brains  to  shut  his  eyes  to  the  indisputable 
fact,  that  from  the  immense  quantities  of  silver  being 
poured  into  the  market,  a  very  serious  and  important 
change  must  shortly  take  place  in  this  great  circu 
lating  medium,  and  one  which,  coming  with  such 
extraordinary  celerity  as  it  really  is  doing,  is  certain 
most  seriously  to  affect  the  whole  world. 

Financiers  and  legislators  cannot  look  to  this 
matter  too  soon ;  and  accepting  for  a  solution  of  the 
difficulty  the  argument  of  short-sighted  or  wilfully 
blind  people,  who  assume  that  the  adoption  by 
America  and  other  countries  of  specie  payments  will 
be  sufficient  to  absorb  the  surplus,  will  only  lead 
them  more  and  more  astray. 

Up  to  a  very  recent  period,  Mexico  was  the  only 
silver  producing  country  of  any  importance  in  the 


SILVEE  AS  A  CIRCULATING  MEDIUM.  2G9 

world,  and  the  greater  portion  of  the  bullion  even 
sent  from  there  came  from  but  one  mine — that  of 
Potosi.  Since  those  days,  silver  has  been  discovered 
in  all  directions,  and  \verc  the  country  in  a  fit  state 
to  warrant  the  introduction  of  foreign  capital,  most 
of  these  mines  could  be  made  to  pay. 

The  mines  of  Utah  are  many  of  them  returning  a 
high  dividend  on  the  very  small  capital  expended  in 
their  primary  working,  and  fresh  deposits  of  ore  are 
being  discovered  daily  by  people  without  any  capital 
at  all,  and  are  consequently  untouched.  The  Emma 
Mine  is  strongly  suspected  by  the  knowing  ones  at 
Salt  Lake  of  having  a  rich  "  Bonanza  "  but  a  very 
few  hundred  feet  below  the  distance  worked  by  its 
present  shareholders. 

On  the  mines  in  Nevada  it  is  impossible  to  touch 
without  going  into  a  matter  of  statistics  and  figures 
too  wearisome  for  a  short  gossiping  book  of  travels, 
but  let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that,  in  only  one  mine 
out  of  the  several  hundred  that  exist  in  a  small 
portion  of  Nevada,  I  saw  myself  ore  which,  still 
unraised,  represented  seventy-four  millions  of  pounds 
sterling. 

It  has  only  been  very  recently  that  people  have 
systematically  looked  for  silver  at  all.  Up  to  this 
the  rage  has  merely  been  for  gold.  Experienced  and 
resolute  men  are  now  prospecting  in  all  kinds  of  wild 
and  out  of  the  way  places  for  metals  that  a  few 
years  ago  were  rarely  searched  for  by  men  educated 
to  their  task.  Silver,  more  or  less,  exists  in  all 
the  Western  States ;  even  Alaska  contains  it ;  but 
were  not  another  mine  to  be  discovered,  those  that 


270  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

exist  at  present  are  more  than  sufficient  to  halve 
the  present  market  value  of  silver,  if  they  were  only 
properly  worked. 

In  San  Francisco  the  vulgar  but  successful  specu 
lator  in  mines  has  his  dinner  menu  engraved  on  a 
silver  plate,  which  each  guest  puts  in  his  pocket  and 
takes  away ;  but  if  it  even  became  the  fashion  to 
pocket  the  spoons,  the  flow  of  silver  is  too  incessant 
and  steady  to  feel  the  drain. 

I  have  studied  this  subject  at  far  greater  length 
than  it  is  necessary  to  enter  upon  here,  and  feel 
convinced  that  the  depreciation  of  the  metal,  owing 
to  the  immense  quantities  produced,  will  soon  become 
so  decided  that  statesmen  will  be  compelled  to  take 
the  matter  very  seriously  up,  and  the  sooner  they 
take  their  task  in  hand  the  better. 


CACHE  VALLEY.  271 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Gaelic  Valley — Chicken  shooting — A  bear  hunt — A  few  worcls  concern 
ing  bears — Ogden — Laramie  City — Fort  Sanders — A  scout  on  the 
Eocky  Mountains — American  tents — Rarefaction  of  the  air — A  long 
shot — Sage-hens — Beaver-dams — My  first  elk— Lost  on  the  mountains 
—  Our  game  bag — Murders  by  the  "Noble  savage" — A  few  words 
about  Indians— The  Pi-Utes  superstition — Chiefs— Squaws—  Religion 
— Cards— Sioux  or  Dakotas — Preparation  for  war — The  Black  Hills — 
The  beginning  of  the  end — President  Grant — North  Platte — Buffalo — 
The  Loup  Valley — Anecdotes  of  the  frontier — Fort  Hartsuff— Prairio 
fires — Prairie  dogs — Tame  elk— A  close  shave — Another  elk  hunt — 
Buckshot— A  large  band  of  elk — Not  dead  yet — Vvrolves — A  complete 
spill. 

FROM  Salt  Lake  City,  I  travelled  about  one  hundred 
miles  north  through  the  land  of  the  Mormon,  to  the 
small  town  of  Franklin  in  the  territory  of  Idaho, 
where  I  heard  good  prairie  chicken  shooting  was  to 
be  obtained.  Mr.  A.  came  with  me,  and  we  got  com 
fortable  quarters  at  Keeney's  hotel.  En  route,  we 
joined  forces  with  another  gentleman  who  was  bound 
on  the  same  errand,  and  during  our  stay  in  Idaho 
we  had  a  very  pleasant  time. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  road  to  Franklin  lay 
through  Cache  Valley,  one  of  the  most  fertile  and 
best-cultivated  pieces  of  land  in  the  territory.  Mormon 
towns,  designed  on  plans  similar  to  that  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  lay  like  so  many  gardens  nestled  at  the  foot  of 


272  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

the  hills;  Corinne,  situated  near  the  west  bank  of 
Bear  River,  being  the  most  important.  A  large  salt 
slough  of  several  miles  in  width  was  passed  just  before 
getting  there,  and  a  large  river  crossed  by  a  sub 
stantial  looking  bridge,  under  which  floated  a  solitary 
pelican  quite  undismayed  at  the  strange  racket  above 
him  and  a  pistol  shot  with  which  he  was  saluted  from 
one  of  the  cars. 

This  town  does  a  considerable  freighting  trade  with 
Montana  and  other  Northern  sections,  but  for  any  one 
visiting  the  Yellow-stone  I  should  recommend  their 
going  straight  through  to  the  end  of  the  Utah 
Northern  line,  then  taking  coach  for  Virginia  City — 
Montana,  and  to  fit  out  and  make  all  other  necessary 
arrangements  from  there.  Logan  is  another  Mormon 
town  of  some  importance  on  this  line.  It  has  a  brass 
and  iron  foundry,  saw  and  planing  mills,  a  fine  new 
temple,  and  is,  to  use  a  common  expression  out  here, 
"  quite  a  place." 

In  coining  over  the  divide  from  Bear  River  to 
Logan  River  a  fine  view  is  to  be  obtained.  To  the 
southward,  Corinne,  Brigham  City,  Call's  Fort, 
Honeyville,  Deweyville,  and  Hampton  lay  before 
us;  while  to  the  northward  some  half-dozen  tree- 
embowered  towns  could  be  taken  in  at  the  same 
glance. 

The  prairie  chicken  shooting  turned  out  quite  as 
good  as  it  had  been  represented,  and  my  companions 
knowing  the  habits  of  the  bird,  we  had  little  difficulty 
in  making  large  bags  each  day  we  went  out.  During 
the  mornings  and  evenings  they  were  scattered  about 
the  prairie  and  in  the  neighbouring  grain  fields,  but 


CHICKEN-SHOOTING.  273 

during  the  beat  of  the  day  they  all  crowded  for  shelter 
to  the  small  willow-shaded  streams,  where  there  was 
no  difficulty  in  finding  them,  and  where  we  got  shots 
at  times  quite  as  fast  as  one  could  in  any  "  hot 
corner"  of  a  well-preserved  covert  in  England. 
Their  flight  is  like  our  own  grouse,  to  which  bird 
they  bear  a  strong  family  resemblance,  and  indeed  to 
which  class  they  belong.  As  every  species  of  hare 
in  the  West  is  called  a  "jackass  rabbit,"  so  is  every 
kind  of  grouse  called  a  prairie  chicken.  Blue  grouse, 
sage  hens,  pin-tailed  grouse,  and  willow  grouse  are 
all  chickens ;  and  these  birds  about  Franklin,  though 
called  chickens  on  all  sides,  are  in  reality  willow 
grouse  (Lagopus  albus,  Audubon).  The  shooting- 
was  as  good  as  it  could  be  ;  we  soon  fired  away  all 
our  cartridges,  and  were  meditating  a  flight,  when 
one  evening  news  was  brought  to  the  hotel  that  a 
bear  had  been  tracked  some  distance  up  the  hills  by 
a  noted  Mormon  hunter,  who,  singularly  enough,  was 
christened  Orson  Broadbent. 

Mr.  Broadbent  was  quite  a  local  celebrity  from  his 
successes  as  a  bear  hunter,  and,  offering  next  morning 
to  pioneer  us  to  the  spot,  we  made  the  necessary 
arrangements  for  starting.  The  following  account  of 
the  hunt  I  afterwards  found  published  in  the  editorial 
correspondence  of  the  '  Ogden  Freeman,'  and  give  it 
in  extenso,  as  a  sample  of  American  journalism.  The 
story  chiefly  existed  in  the  editor's  imagination,  who 
happened  to  be  staying  at  Franklin  at  the  time,  the 
only  correct  part  of  his  statement  being  that  we 
really  did  kill  the  bear.  Orson  Broadbent,  getting 
the  carcass,  sold  it,  and  it  was  eaten  quite  as  rapidly 

T 


THE   TWO  AMEEICAS. 


as    described.      My  friend   Mr.   A.  has  been  given 
brevet  rank,"  and  the  skin  fell  to  me. 


u 


TWO  ENGLISH  LORDS  ON  A  BEAR  HUNT — HOW  THEY  BAY  THE  GRIZZLIES 
— BEASTS  MORE  FEROCIOUS  THAN  THE  BENGAL  TIGER — A  FAMILY 
DRIVEN  OUT  OF  THE  COUNTRY  BY  THEM. 

Soda  Springs,  Idaho,  Sept.  IS,  75. 

THE    CHASE. 

Sir  Rose  Price,  an  English  Baronet,  and  Sir  B.  Argall,  another 
English  nobleman,  who  has  invested  largely  in  Utah  mines,  came  to 
Franklin,  and  enjoyed  the  sport  of  a  grizzly  bear  hunt  while  we  were 
there,  a  few  days  ago.  A  noted  bear  hunter,  Mr.  Orson  Broadbent,  had 
discovered  that  one  of  these  mountain  terrors  was  feeding  in  Birch 
Creek  Canyon,  about  four  miles  from  town,  and  notified  the  two 
British  Lords  that  he  would  pilot  them  to  the  spot  if  they  thought 
they  had  lost  any  bears.  The  gentlemen  accepted  the  proposition, 
were  furnished  by  their  landlord,  J.  W.  Keeney,  with  a  most  suitable 
covered  carriage,  drawn  by  a  handsome  span  of  blood  bays,  driven  by 
John  C.  Barrow,  familiarly  known  as  "  Eambling  Jack;"  and  after  a 
cautious  journey  of  three  hours'  duration,  the  great  uncouth  hunter — 
Broadbent — accompanied  by  Jas.  H.  Handy,  announced  that  they  were 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  game,  when  every  weapon  was  made  ready,  the 
dogs  brought  to  presence,  and  action  prepared  for.  It  was  soon  known 
that  his  majesty,  Bruin,  watching  the  party  from  his  closely  ensconced 
point  of  observation  in  a  thicket  of  birch  willows,  wild  rose  bushes, 
service  and  hawthorn  brush,  and  when  Broadbent  entered  the  lair,  a 
rush,  accompanied  by  a  hoarse  growl,  made  chills  creep  over  the  nerves 
of  some  of  the  party,  but  only  gave  confidence  to  Sir  Eose  Price,  who 
had  tried  and  proven  his  famous  breechloader  among  the  jungles  of 
Patagonia  and  Central  Africa ;  nor  was  Sir  Argall  at  all  disconcerted, 
although  he  was  a  neophyte  in  the  chase  of  such  monsters.  And  now 
that  both  the  Lords  had  an  open  field  and  a  fair  fight,  at  the  crack  of 
their  trusty  weapons  the  grizzly  dropped,  rolled,  reared,  and  pitched  with 
headlong  ferocity,  and  unearthly  yell  after  Sir  Eose,  but  when  within  ten 
feet  of  the  African  hunter,  a  well-directed  shot  from  Argall  gave  him 
another  tumble;  and  then  the  two  powerful  dogs  took  part  in  the 
sport.  One  giant  canine,  best  described  as  a  cross  between  a  bull 
and  a  mastiff,  was  reduced  to  jelly  by  a  single  blow  of  the  left  paw, 
while  his  mate  was  torn  half  in  two  by  a  grab  with  the  right.  Then 
•did  bruin  renew  the  charge  against  Sir  Eose  Price,  and  before  he  could 


A  BEAR   HUNT.  275 


recover  his  wits  he  too  lay  sprawling  under  the  bear.  All  the 
spectators  were  horror-stricken  and  stood  aghast,  as  they  supposed  the 
brave  man  was  so  completely  within  the  jaws  of  death,  that  rescue 
would  be  an  impossibility,  though  all  were  in  a  moment  agreeably 
surprised  when  they  saw  the  long  knife,  dripping  with  hot  blood, 
withdrawn  from  the  heart  of  the  brute,  and  all  gave  a  prolonged  cheer 
as  the  bear  rolled  over,  dead,  and  Sir  Eose  leaped  to  his  feet  unharmed. 
The  fine  specimen  of  game  was  taken  to  Franklin,  and  after  being 
dressed  for  the  butcher's  stall,  weighed  eight  hundred  and  seventy-five 
pounds,  and  yet  he  was  only  three  years  of  age.  The  robe  was  placed  in 
the  hands  of  Broadbent  to  be  tanned  for  the  Lords.  The  game  was  put 
on  sale  at  the  market  of  H.  T.  Smith,  who  sent  one  quarter  to  the 
Beardsley  House,  Ogden,  and  a  choice  piece  to  THE  OGDEN  FREEMAN, 
the  remainder  going  off  like  hot  cakes  to  residents  of  Franklin.  We 
must  not  omit  to  mention  that  Mr.  Black,  route  agent  of  the  Utah 
Northern  E.  E.,  was  a  participant  in  the  hunt,  and  that  he  and 
H.  W.  0.  Margery  also  received  each  a  present  of  the  rarity.  The 
fat  on  the  tenderloin  was  three  inches  thick. 

The  public  are  notified  that  such  game  is  so  plentiful  about 
Franklin  that  in  many  places  they  have  made  serious  inroads  upon 
the  stock ;  and  the  family  of  Wm.  Bradshaw,  comprising  himself,  wife, 
and  four  children,  were  so  annoyed  by  their  inroad  upon  their  hogs 
that,  after  nine  swine  had  been  taken  out  of  the  pen  and  devoured, 
Mr.  Bradshaw  considered  it  unsafe  to  remain  with  his  family,  and 
therefore  left  his  homestead — driven  away  by  bears.  This  was  on 
a  travelled  road  along  Deep  Creek,  six  miles  from  Malad  City,  Idaho. 

Mr.  Keeney  will  furnish  the  most  superb  outfits  for  hunting  parties, 
and  Broadbent  will  admirably  guide  any  persons  desiring  a  grand  bear 
hunt  in  the  neighborhood  of  Franklin. 

Sir  Eose  Price  expresses  himself  as  fully  impressed  that  the  Bengal 
tiger  is  not  near  so  spirited  a  battler  as  the  Eocky  Mountain  grizzly. 
He  is  delighted  with  the  sport.  Sir  Eose  presents  the  appearance  of 
a  much  travelled  man  and  an  intrepid  hunter. 

A  great  number  of  bears  have  this  year  been  seen 
in  many  parts  of  the  country.  Within  thirty  miles 
of  Salt  Lake  City  I  heard  of  several  being  noticed, 
but  almost  invariably  they  are  given  a  wide  berth. 
A  man  will  tell  you  of  having  seen  "  grizzlies,"  but 
if  asked  "  Did  he  kill  any  ?  "  generally  replies,  "  Guess 
I  never  lost  no  bar,  and  don't  want  to  find  none." 

T  2 


276  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  the  bear  is  not  half  so 
formidable  a  beast  as  he  is  represented,  and  killing 
a  tiger  on  foot  (not  from  a  tree  or  an  elephant  re 
member — any  "  muff"  can  do  that — but  fairly  face  to 
face  in  the  jungle)  is  far  and  away  a  more  dangerous 
game  in  every  respect,  and  requires  much  more 
nerve  to  do  it.  A  ball  properly  placed  will  kill 
a  bear  as  easily  as  a  snipe;  and  this  bear  who 
was  so  near  eating  the  two  *•  English  Lords" 
fell  stone  decid  at  the  very  first  fire,  which  was 
delivered  at  about  five  yards'  distance  and  took  effect 
in  the  brain,  the  ball  entering  one  inch  over  the 
left  eye. 

A  man  hunting  grizzly  bears  alone  should  always 
have  a  dog.  Not  "  a  giant  canine  best  described  as 
a  cross  between  a  bull  and  a  mastiff,"  but  a  well- 
plucked  ordinary  cur,  such  as  all  really  valuable  bear 
dogs  generally  are.  I  have  passed  within  a  few 
feet  of  a  bear  in  cover  without  being  aware  of  it, 
until  a  dog  brought  to  the  place  immediately  after 
wards  found  out  and  started  him  from  the  very  spot 
I  had  almost  walked  over.  A  couple  of  good  active 
curs  who  will  bark  and  snap  at  the  bear  is  all  one 
wants.  At  this  time  of  the  year  Master  Bruin  is 
found  in  thick  copses  of  fruit-trees  or  berries,  where 
it  would  be  almost  impossible,  as  well  as  extremely 
dangerous,  for  a  man  to  get  out  a  bear  without  their 
assistance.  The  instinct  of  nine  bears  out  of  ten  is 
to  retire  when  they  first  discover  the  presence  of 
men ;  but  if  wounded,  or  with  cubs,  they  will  quite 
as  generally  show  fight.  It  is  worth  remembering 
that,  when  taking  a  body  shot  at  bear,  their  heart 


OGDEN.  277 


lies  low.  I  had  been  told  this  by  old  hunters,  and 
took  the  first  opportunity  of  convincing  myself,  by 
anatomical  examination,  of  the  correctness  of  their 
statement.  A  knife  blade  four  inches  long  can  reach 
it  comfortably.  In  tolerably  open  ground,  a  cool 
man  armed  with  a  breechloading  rifle  has  nothing 
to  fear,  as  a  bear  nearly  always  stops  when  wounded, 
no  matter  how  slightly,  to  bite  and  growl,  and  could 
be  filled  with  bullets,  even  before  coming  unpleasantly 
near.  This  latter  plan,  however,  spoils  the  skin, 
and  one  express  bullet,  properly  placed  at  close 
quarters,  will  generally  be  found  quite  sufficient. 

Franklin  is  at  present  the  terminus  of  the  Utah 
Northern  in  Idaho  and  point  of  departui "  for  mails 
and  passengers  going  north;  the  line  is,  however, 
gradually  being  pushed  on  towards  Montana,  and 
I  fancy  the  importance  enjoyed  by  the  town  at 
present  will  soon  decline.  It  is  built  on  the  usual 
plan  of  all  Mormon  settlements,  i.e.  in  large  blocks, 
every  house  with  a  garden  and  plenty  of  fruit-trees, 
streams  of  water  on  each  side  of  the  broad  streets, 
arid  trees  planted  on  the  side-walks  for  shade.  Having 
slaughtered  chickens  until  I  was  tired  of  firing  at 
them,  I  retraced  my  steps  to  Ogden,  where,  as  on 
a  previous  occasion,  I  had  to  pass  a  night,  waiting 
for  my  train.  Ogden  is  built  at  the  entrance  of  a 
canon  which  runs  from  the  Wahsatch  Mountains, 
and  is  a  nice-looking  town  on  the  usual  Mormon 
plan.  Fair  trout-fishing  can  be  had  on  the  river, 
but  at  some  distance  from  the  town.  Two  rival 
hotels  are  at  the  station,  and  only  a  few  yards  a^art. 
One  is  on  the  Union  Pacific  line,  the  other  on  the 


278  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

Utah  Northern.  On  the  arrival  of  every  train  they 
both  bang  gongs,  and  as  they  seem  to  fancy  that  the 
fellow  who  hits  hardest  and  longest  will  attract  the 
greatest  amount  of  custom,  the  noise  they  kick  up  by 
both  night  and  day  is  simply  fiendish.  There  are 
plenty  of  better  hotels  in  the  town,  which  is  about 
half  a  mile  off,  and  one  escapes  this  horrid  row  by 
going  there. 

I  nearly  omitted  mentioning  that  any  one  desirous 
of  seeing  the  "  noble  savage"  can  get  plenty  of  him 
all  over  Utah.  At  Corinne,  just  before  I  went  there, 
about  three  thousand  camped  near  the  town.  Ogxlen 
has  generally  a  tribe  or  so  loafing  about;  and  as 
the  Mormons  encourage  and  feed  them  for  purposes 
of  their  own,  there  are  usually  plenty  idling  the 
time  away,  with  dirty  blankets,  painted  faces,  and 
half  drunk. 

A  ride  of  twenty-four  hours  in  a  Pullman,  with 
rather  over  the  aveiage  number  of  children  and 
babies,  brought  me  to  Laramie,  in  the  territory  of 
Wyoming,  which  I  had  been  recommended  to  make 
my  headquarters  for  shooting  in  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains,  and  where  I  accordingly  made  a  halt. 

Laramie  City  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Big  Laramie  River,  one  irile  below  the  crossing  of 
the  old  California  emigrant  road  of  1849,  and  seven 
miles  below  the  crossing  of  (he  overland  mail  and 
stage  road  near  the  centre  of  Laramie  plains.  This 
magnificent  plain  or  park,  comprising  two  million 
acres  of  land  at  an  elevation  of  7170  feet  above  the 
sea,  is  entirely  surrounded  by  two  spurs  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains — on  the  eastern  side  by  the  range 


WOMEN'S  EIGHTS.  279 

of  the  Black  Hills,  and  on  the  western  by  the 
Medicine  Bow  range. 

The  Territory  of  Wyoming  boasts  of  enjoying  real 
universal  suffrage,  the  franchise  being  actually  ex 
tended  to  females ;  and  Laramie  is  celebrated  as 
being  the  first  (and  I  trust  it  may  be  the  last)  place 
in  the  territory,  and  probably  in  the  world,  where 
a  female  jury  was  ever  empannelled.  The  enactment 
passing  this  singular  ordination  by  the  Council  and 
House  of  Representatives  of  the  Territory  of 
Wyoming  is  dated  the  10th  of  December,  1869,  and 
runs,  "  That  every  woman  of  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  residing  in  this  territory,  may,  at  every  election 
to  be  holden  under  the  laws  thereof,  cast  her  vote. 
And  her  rights  to  the  elective  franchise  and  to  hold 
office  shall  be  the  same  under  the  election  laws  of 
the  territory  as  those  of  electors."  On  the  7th  of 
March,  1870,  at  the  District  Court,  several  ladies 
sat  on  the  jury,  hearing  and  deciding  on  various 
cases.  From  this  date,  women's  rights  in  Wyoming 
seem  to  have  been  firmly  established,  and  a  licence 
legally  given  them  by  their  territory  to  neglect 
their  domestic  duties  as  wife  and  mother  as  much 
as  geemeth  to  them  fit. 

Fort  Sanders,  a  military  post  established  in  1866 
for  the  protection  of  workmen  engaged  on  the  Union 
Pacific  line  and  the  then  infant  town  of  Laramie, 
is  about  two  miles  from  Laramie  Station.  1  had 
with  me  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Colonel  B.,  who 
was  commanding  the  post,  and  shortly  after  my 
arrival  I  delivered  it  in  person.  My  reception  was 
both  courteous  and  hospitable.  The  Colonel  would 


280  THE  TWO  AMERICAS 

not  hear  of  my  remaining  in  the  hotel  at  Laramie, 
where  I  had  engaged  rooms.  He  sent  off  immediately 
for  my  traps,  and  once  more  I  was  comfortably  living 
my  old  barrack  life,  and  enjoying  the  novelty  of 
witnessing  and  criticising  a  new  service,  while 
waiting  for  the  shooting  party  which  the  good- 
natured  Colonel  had  almost  immediately  offered  to 
get  up.  The  headquarters  and  band  of  the  2nd 
Cavalry  and  one  company  of  the  4th  Regiment  of 
Infantry  formed  the  little  garrison,  the  remaining 
portion  of  both  regiments  being  engaged  in  looking 
after  Indians  in  different  places  about  the  post, 
varying  in  distance  from  one  hundred  to  a  thousand 
miles.  Three  troops  of  the  former  were  on  escort 
duty  to  the  commissioners,  at  the  great  council  being 
held  for  negotiating  the  purchase  of  the  Black  Hills 
from  the  Indians,  so  that  but  few  officers  were  at  the 
post. 

Some  fair  duck  and  hare  shooting  is  to  be  had  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  post,  and  antelope  are 
within  a  couple  of  miles.  At  this  season  of  the  year 
the  climate  was  all  that  one  could  wish  for,  and  the 
clear  blue  of  an  Italian  sky  seemed  added  to  an 
atmosphere  indescribable  for  its  extreme  clearness 
and  invigorating  purity.  The  Rocky  Mountains  are 
indeed  during  the  early  autumn  months  the  very 
quintessence  of  perfection  of  climate.  For  these  few 
months  I  know  of  nothing  in  Europe  or  anywhere 
that  can  touch  them,  but  preserve  me  from  being 
here  in  winter.  Sanders  is  on  a  bleak  flat  plain, 
without  the  slightest  protection  of  tree  or  hill  to 
shelter  it  from  the  fearful  storms  so  common  on  the 


FORT  SANDERS.  281 


mountains;  "blizzards"  they  call  them.  During 
these  blizzards  man  and  beast  alike  suffer,  and  on 
one  occasion  during  the  winter  of  "74  the  spirit 
thermometer  showed  a  register  of  49°  below  zero. 

A  couple  of  days  after  my  arrival  the  following 
appeared  in  garrison  orders  : 

HEADQUARTERS,  FORT  SANDERS,  W.  T. 

September  19^,  1875. 

SPECIAL O 


III.  Captain  Wm.  IT.  Powell,  4th  Infantry,  W.  P.  Clark,  Adjutant, 
2nd  Cavalry,  and  1st  Lieutenant,  J.  L.  Fowler,  B.  Qr.-Mr.,  2nd  Cavalry, 
with  an  escort  of  eight  (8)  men,  will  proceed  to-morrow  on  a  scout  to 
the  vicinity  of  Sabille  Pass  and  Laramie  Peak,  making  a  careful 
examination  of  all  roads  and  passes  leading  from  the  country  known 
as  the  Black  Hills  to  the  Laramie  Valley. 

An  itinerary  of  the  march  and  accurate  account  of  the  distance 
travelled,  as  determined  by  an  odometer,  will  be  kept,  and  on  return 
of  the  party  a  map  of  the  country  scouted  over,  with  a  full  report  of 
the  trip,  will  be  submitted. 

The  topography  of  the  country  as  compared  with  the  maps  now 
made  will  receive  especial  attention,  and  changes  needed  carefully 
noted. 

The  Quartermaster's  Department  will  furnish  the  necessary  trans 
portation. 


By  order  of 

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  A.  G.  BRACKETT, 

W.  P.  CLARK,  LT.  &  ADJT.,  2ND  CAV. 

This  order  entailed  the  most  perfect  combination 
of  duty  with  pleasure  that  it  has  ever  been  my  lot  to 
witness,  and  on  the  day  specified  off  we  started  in 
the  highest  possible  spirits.  A  four-mule  waggon 


282  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

carrying  tents,  bedding,  and  food,  and  a  light 
ambulance  formed  our  transport.  The  escort  were 
mounted,  and  we  each  had  a  led  horse  for  the  chase. 
Springfield  and  Express  rifles,  with  a  thousand 
rounds  of  ammunition,  and  several  varieties  of  shot 
guns  formed  our  "  battery,"  and  thus  equipped  we 
were  fully  prepared  for  grizzly  bear  or  Indians,  the 
only  two  dangerous  animals  we  were  likely  to  come 
across. 

The  Indians  anywhere  within  a  hundred  miles  of 
their  reservation  are  never  to  be  trusted.  They  rob 
and  scalp  indiscriminately  any  small  or  unwary 
parties  they  fall  in  with,  to  use  a  common  western 
expression,  "  all  the  time ;"  and  as  the  Government 
rarely  permits  their  being  followed  into  their  reserva 
tions,  even  when  troops  are  in  hot  pursuit  of  stolen 
cattle,  they  are  in  my  opinion  rather  encouraged  to 
run  the  risk  than  otherwise.  Officers  have  told  me 
that  they  have  constantly  seen  the  stolen  cattle  they 
were  in  pursuit  of  over  the  border,  having  just 
crossed  before  they  could  seize  it,  and  that  the 
"  noble  savages,"  knowing  well  the  existing  order 
which  protected  them,  testified  their  confidence  in  its 
efficiency  by  derisive  motions  of  exultation  and 
contempt. 

On  a  wet  snowy  morning,  unusual  to  find  at  this 
time  of  the  year,  we  left  Fort  Sanders,  our  route  lying 
over  the  plains  that  stretch  away  for  many  miles  to 
the  north  and  south.  Our  first  day's  march  was 
uneventful,  and  chiefly  exemplified  the  comfort  of 
travelling  in  a  well-covered  and  easy-going  ambu 
lance,  in  contradistinction  to  riding  in  the  blinding 


A  SCOUT  ON  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS.       283 

sleet ;  my  only  experience  hitherto,  during  bad 
weather,  while  on  hunting  parties.  A  few  hours 
brought  us  away  from  all  signs  of  civilisation.  As 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach  towards  north  and  south 
lay  a  huge  rolling  prairie  well  sprinkled  with 
antelope,  both  single  and  in  herds ;  we  had  not 
time,  however,  to  waste  in  stalking  these  wary 
creatures,  and  after  a  march  of  twenty-seven  miles 
we  camped  for  the  night  not  very  far  from  Wyoming. 
The  government  tent  of  the  American  service  is  a 
far  more  comfortable  habitation  than  the  regulation 
"bell"  of  our  own.  The  men  are  provided  with 
what  are  termed  "A,"  and  the  officers  with  "wall," 
tents ;  and  as  the  canvas  they  are  constructed  of  is 
lighter  and  easier  to  pack  than  ours,  they  combine  the 
advantages  of  having  more  room  with  less  weight  to 
carry.  Our  beds  were  formed  of  buffalo  robes,  and 
the  amount  of  luxuries  forthcoming  at  dinner-time 
fairly  surprised  me.  A  comfortable  table  to  sit  at, 
and  arm-chairs  to  smoke  in  afterwards,  were  good 
things  I  little  dreamed  of  ever  enjoying  on  a  hunting 
expedition  in  the  wildest  part  of  the  Hocky  Mountains. 
Next  morning  we  had  a  sharp  frost,  severe  enough 
to  throw  a  coating  of  ice  over  the  water  in  my  bath. 
The  snow  and  rain  had  disappeared,  and  for  the  rest 
of  our  trip  we  had  the  most  charming  weather  con 
ceivable.  The  extreme  purity  and  lightness  of  the 
atmosphere  at  this  great  elevation  above  the  eea 
gives  to  out-of-dcor  Hie  in  these  mountains  a  .charm 
that  I  have  never  felt  elsewhere.  Everything  under 
its  seductive  influence  becomes  couleur  de  rose,  and  one 
seems  to  inhale  exhilarating  draughts  of  pure  ozono 


284  THE  TWO  AMEETCAS. 

rnoro  vivifying  than  all  the  brandy-cocktails  in  a 
San  Franciscan  bar. 

Our  line  of  march  ran  for  some  miles  close  by  and 
parallel  to  the  Union  Pacific  Railway.  Large  sheets 
of  zinc  or  tin,  torn  from  the  roofs  of  the  carriages 
by  the  prodigious  force  of  the  wind  during  winter 
storms,  strewed  the  way,  and  at  intervals  snow -sheds 
and  snow-fences  protecting  the  line  showed  the  kind 
of  weather  one  might  look  forward  to  in  January  or 
December. 

On  striking  off  from  the  railway  the  country 
became  wilder  and  game  more  abundant.  We 
passed  over  a  succession  of  bluffs,  and  from  the  top 
of  each  invariably  saw  herds  of  prong-horned  antelope 
(Antilocapra  Americana,  Ore/),  the  only  represen 
tative  of  its  species  inhabiting  the  continent.  They 
were  extremely  shy,  seldom  offering  a  shot  closer  than 
four  hundred  yards,  and  a  good  number  of  rounds 
were  fruitlessly  expended.  We  only  got  one  during 
the  day,  which  I  killed  by  a  chance  shot  at  rather 
over  a  thousand  yards  with  an  American  Springfield 
rifled  musket,  calibre  forty-live.  The  ball  went  in  at 
the  eye,  passing  through  the  neck,  and  it  being  such 
a  singular  shot  we  measured  the  distance,  which  was 
exactly  a  thousand  and  ninety  yards. 

Though  tolerably  familiar  with  the  appearance  of 
manv  of  the  vast  tribes  of  the  antelope  species  in 
habiting  Eastern  Africa,  I  had  never  before  met  the 
"prong-horned,"  and  was  glad  of  an  opportunity 
that  added  a  new  head  to  my  collection. 

This  animal  is  nearly  the  size  of  our  ordinary 
fallow  deer.  The  hair  is  everywhere  very  coarse, 


PRONG-HORNED  ANTELOP2.  285 

thick,  spongy,  and  easily  torn  apart,  somewhat 
resembling  the  South  African  "  klip-springer,"  whoso 
hide  is  so  eagerly  sought  after  by  the  Dutch  boers 
for  saddle  cloths,  and  I  think  these  antelope  skins 
would  answer  very  wrell  for  the  same  purpose.  The 
head  is  broad,  much  hollowed  on  the  forehead ;  the 
ridge  of  the  muzzle  narrow,  high,  and  convex;  the 
outline  of  the  head  narrow  and  tapering.  The  horns 
are  situated  very  far  back,  are  much  compressed 
antero- posteriorly,  with  a  broad,  compressed,  pointed 
snag  directed  upwards  and  forwards;  beyond  this 
anterior  snag  the  horn  becomes  rounded  and  tapers 
to  an  acute  and  compressed  tip  ;  when  near  the  tip  the 
direction  of  the  horn,  instead  of  being  upwards  with 
a  slight  outward  divergence,  changes  abruptly  and 
bends  inwards  and  a  little  backwards.  The  terminal 
portion  of  the  horn  is  smooth  and  polished  ;  the  basal, 
on  the  contrary,  is  generally  warty  and  roughened 
by  angular  tubercles  of  greater  or  less  size. 

The  geographical  distribution  of  the  American 
antelope  is  pretty  well  indicated.  According  to 
Dr.  Eichardson,  it  is  found  as  far  north  as  the  north 
branch  of  the  Saskatchewan  in  kit.  53°.  It  is  spread 
all  over  the  plains  between  the  Missouri  River  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  as  far  west  as  the  coast  range 
of  California  and  Oregon.  To  the  south  it  reaches 
the  Rio  Grande  at  its  mouth,  and  probably  extends 
some  distance  into  Mexico. 

In  some  places  we  passed  large  tracts  covered 
with  sage-bush,  and  frequently  put  up  and  shot  a 
very  handsome  bird  called  the  "sage-cock"  (Cen- 
trocercus  uropliasianus,  Sicainsoii).  They  are  one  of 


286  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

the  numerous  birds  that  come,  as  I  have  described, 
erroneously  under  the  head  of  "  chickens,"  being 
often  confounded  with  the  "  prairie-hen "  of  the 
plains.  This  bird  varies  much  in  size,  the  male 
being-  considerably  larger  and  heavier  than  the 
female.  They  are  like  huge  grouse,  feathered  to  the 
toes,  about  the  size  of  turkeys ;  and  one  of  unusual 
growth,  which  I  shot  during  our  trip,  measured 
forty-eight  inches  from  tip  to  tip  of  its  extended 
wings.  The  weather  still  continued  magnificent,  and 
moving  quietly  onward  by  easy  marches  averaging 
twenty-eight  miles,  we  reached  on  the  third  day  our 
camping-ground  on  the  North  Fork  of  the  Laramie 
River,  about  nine  miles  from  Laramie  Peak. 

Our  tents  were  pitched  on  a  level  sward  at  the 
mouth  of  a  canon,  through  which  for  about  eighteen 
miles  coursed  the  North  Fork  of  the  Laramie,  a 
small  stream  apparently  full  of  beavers,  whose 
beautifully-built  dams  shored  up  and  kept  from 
drying  during  the  heat  of  summer  many  a  mile  of 
river.  When  first  I  saw  these  wonderfully-con 
structed  works  of  art,  I  felt  certain  that  I  was 
looking  at  some  new  description  of  fish-trap  made 
by  the  Indians ;  and  wondered  if  they  were  in  the 
habit  of  visiting  them  often  to  get  what  I  supposed 
they  contained,  and  if  many  came  together.  The 
sticks  were  planted  with  an  evenness  and  regularity 
that  quite  surprised  me  ;  and  unless  I  had  been  told 
by  one  of  our  party  who  the  builders  really  were, 
should  have  been  quite  satisfied  in  my  own  mind 
that  it  was  a  particularly  clever  fish-catch. 

Shortly   after    camping,  Lieutenants  C.,  F.,  and 


MY  FIEST  ELK.  287 


myself  mounted  and  started  up  the  canon.  Mr.  F. 
knew  the  country  well,  and  had  only  a  month 
previously  killed  two  bears,  besides  elk  and  mountain 
sheep,  while  hunting  over  the  same  ground,  and  was 
consequently  sanguine  enough  about  our  getting 
sport.  We  had  some  terribly  rough  ground  to  ride 
over  along  the  river  bank,  and  for  the  first  eight 
miles  saw  nothing.  C.  was  on  one  side,  and  F.  and 
self  on  the  other.  I  began  to  fancy  we  should  have 
a  blank  day,  when  suddenly  F.,  who  was  leading, 
sprang  off  his  Indian  pony,  and  crouching  down 
motioned  with  his  hand  to  look  ahead.  I  did  so; 
and  there,  not  a  hundred  yards  from  us,  standing  in 
the  river  and  almost  concealed  by  its  high  banks, 
stood  a  band  of  four  magnificent  elk.  I  did  not  get 
the  "  elk-fever,"  but  I  was  certainly  for  a  few  seconds 
quite  lost  in  admiration  as  I  gazed  on  these  superb 
creatures. 

Some  confusion  exists  in  the  name  of  this  animal, 
the  term  "  elk "  having  been  applied  by  several 
European  writers  to  the  rnoose  (Cervus  alces,  or  Aloes 
inalchis),  an  animal  entirely  different  and  not  half  so 
handsome,  though  of  about  same  size.  These  were, 
however,  the  true  American  elk  (Cervus  Canadensis, 
JEradeben),  sometimes  called  wapiti  by  Barton  and 
Leach.  They  evidently  were  quite  unaware  of  our 
presence  as  we  were  well  to  leeward ;  and  the  ground 
being  favourable,  I  really  believe  we  might  have  got 
within  forty  yards  undetected,  had  not  the  mule 
Lieutenant  C.  was  riding  suddenly  given  a  most 
hideous  bray.  The  elk  immediately  sprang  in  alarm 
upon  the  bank,  and  simultaneously  C.  and  myself 


288  THS  TWO  AMERICAS. 

opened  fire.  The  band  now  gained  an  open  space, 
and  I  can  hardly  conceive  a  more  beautiful  sight 
than  that  of  these  four  lordly  beasts,  with  their 
immense  antlers  thrown  well  back  on  their  shoulders, 
trotting  in  bewilderment  about  the  plain  as  the 
bullets  from  they  knew  not  where  came  whi'zzing 
by  them. 

The  whole  picture  was  replete  with  beauty.  The 
winding  river,  tire  heavily-meadowed  plain,  the  lofty 
and  precipitous  sides  of  the  canon  on  one  bank  of 
the  stream  slightly  wooded,  and  the  beautiful  clear 
volatile  atmosphere  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  all 
combined  to  render  the  sight  one  never  to  be  for 
gotten.  The  two  elk  we  had  first  fired  at  were  hard 
hit,  and  leaving  'the  band,  who  soon  trotted  out  of 
sight,  came  back  towards  the  river,  evidently  with 
the  intention  of  standing  at  bay.  One  of  them  took 
to  the  water  close  by  where  I  was  standing,  and  was 
soon  put  out  of  pain  by  a  bullet  behind  the  shoulder 
delivered  at  about  twelve  yards,  and  the  other 
received  its  coup  de  grace  from  C.  about  a  hundred 
yards  farther  up  the  river. 

They  were  both  in  splendid  condition,  and  had 
magnificent  well-antlered  heads.  Had  it  not  been 
for  C.'s  musical  mule  I  believe  we  should  have  killed 
the  entire  band ;  but,  as  it  was,  getting  two  out  of 
four  was  pretty  good  luck  ;  after  having  performed  the 
obsequies  for  the  dead,  and  hung  the  heads  on  a  tree 
out  of  reach  of  wolves,  we  returned  to  camp  highly 
elated  with  our  fortune. 

Next  day  was  devoted  to  getting  in  the  elk,  and 
looking  for  bear.  "We  saw  plenty  of  signs  of  bruin, 


LOST  ON  THE  MOUNTAINS.  289 

some  not  twenty  minutes  old,  but  had  no  bear-dog 
and  were  unable  to  get  him  out  of  cover.  Once  Mr. 
C.'s  dog,  a  setter,  came  bolting  out  of  a  thicket,  and 
rushed,  with  tail  depressed  and  hackles  standing, 
between  his  master's  legs.  C.'s  back  was  turned  at 
the  time,  and  I  never  saw  a  fellow  hop  round  quicker, 
as  he  certainly  thought  the  bear  was  right  upon  him. 
We  beat  the  ground  with  almost  reckless  closeness, 
but  were  unable  to  unearth  Master  Bruin,  who  seemed 
somehow  to  be  aware  of  the  hot  reception  awaiting 
him,  and  was  quite  determined  not  to  show. 

The  whole  of  the  country  is  so  intersected  with 
canons  travelling  on  horseback  becomes  extremely 
difficult,  and  a  novice  can  lose  himself  with  most 
uncomfortable  ease.  Once  while  im/ting  "mountain 
sheep"  (Ovis  Montana),  an  animal  similar  to  the 
mouflon  (  Caprovis  Musinwii)  of  Sardinia,  with  Lieu 
tenant  C.  and  a  sergeant,  we  lost  our  bearings,  and 
after  some  hours' wandering  became  quite  bewildered, 
those  horrible-looking  ravines  being  on  every  side. 
After  riding  many  miles,  we  determined  on  venturing 
to  cross  a  canon  along  whose  sides  we  had  crawled  a 
long  time  vainly  endeavouring  to  find  a  practicable 
place  for  descent,  and  which  we  felt  certain  lay  between 
us  and  the  one  containing  our  camp.  The  more  we 
looked,  the  less  we  liked  it ;  but  the  sun  was  getting 
terribly  low,  and  in  a  short  time  we  knew  darkness 
would  close  upon  us  and  our  fate  for  the  night  be 
sealed. 

C.  had  gone  on  an  exploring  expedition  by  himself, 
and  had  we  imagined  most  probably  either  broken 
his  own  or  his  pony's  neck  long  before  this.  One 

u 


200  THE  TWO  ANEEICAS. 

thing  was  quite  evident,  the  canon  must  be  crossed ; 
so  the  sergeant  and  myself  began  a  closer  inspection 
of  the  yawning  abyss  preparatory  to  attempting  the 
descent.  Had  it  not  been  for  an  accident  it  is  quite 
certain  we  should  have  never  got  down.  Seeing  a 
couple  of  openings,  I  led  my  mule  towards  one, 
telling  my  companion  to  try  the  other,  and  arranging 
that  whoever  found  a  practicable  road  should  shout 
for  the  other  to  come  to  him. 

Half  an  hour  spent  in  a  state  of  extreme  nervous 
ness  in  endeavouring  to  lead  down  places  where  only 
monkeys  could  climb,  convinced  me  of  the  impossi 
bility  of  descending  by  my  route,  and  retracing  my 
steps  I  went  to  the  place  reconnoitred  by  the  sergeant. 
It  looked  quite  as  bad  as  my  own,  but  I  saw  his 
trail  for  some  distance  until  it  became  lost  on  the 
rocks,  and  arguing  that,  bad  as  it  looked,  where  one 
mule  could  go  another  could  follow,  I  pushed  on,  con 
sidering  at  the  same  time  the  odds  were  at  least  fifty 
to  one  in  favour  of  my  animal  furnishing  a  meal  in  a 
very  few  hours  for  coyotes  and  wolves,  and  wonder 
ing  how  on  earth  the  sergeant  managed  to  get  down. 
Several  times  I  tried  to  go  back,  but  that  really  was 
impossible,  and,  to  make  a  long  story  short,  I  at  last 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  bottom.  What  was  my 
surprise  on  getting  there  to  hear  a  shout,  and  to  see 
my  friend  the  sergeant  hard  at  work  half-way  up  the 
side,  looking  uncommonly  like  a  fly  on  a  wall,  on  the 
old  route  I  had  deserted,  as  being  impracticable. 

It  appears  that  he  had  given  up  his  first  attempt,  as 
I  had  mine ;  we  had  both  crossed  to  the  places  first 
tried  by  the  other,  and  both  went  down  them,  fancy- 


MURDERS  BY  THE  "NOBLE  SAVAGE."         291 

ing  the  other  had  already  accomplished  the  feat.  On 
looking  from  the  bottom  at  the  place  we  had  de 
scended,  it  seems  as  if  we  must  have  dreamed  we 
came  down  there,  and  had  any  one  told  me  that  he 
had  taken  any  four-footed  animal  over  such  a  place, 
it  would  have  required  considerable  experience  of  his 
veracity  ere  I  could  have  believed  it  possible.  Our 
good  luck  stuck  to  us,  for  more  by  that  than  by  good 
management  we  had  stumbled  into  the  very  canon 
which  contained  our  camp,  and  got  back  by  night 
fall  ;  but  it  was  the  merest  chance  in  the  world,  and 
we  narrowly  escaped  being  three  or  four  days  lost  on 
the  hills.  We  had  neither  blankets  nor  food,  and  con 
sidering  the  amount  of  Indians  in  the  vicinity  always 
on  the  qui  vive  for  scalps,  had  we  not  blundered 
on  the  right  trail,  our  position  would  have  been 
dangerous  as  well  as  disagreeable. 

On  our  return  journey  we  passed  some  beautiful 
natural  meadow  land,  well  watered  and  admirably 
adapted  for  agricultural  purposes,  but  unsettled  owing 
to  its  dangerous  vicinity  to  Indian  reservations.  All 
along  the  North  Fork  of  the  Laramie  this  land 
seemed  equally  valuable,  and  it  appears  hard  that  a 
country  so  fertile  should  still  remain  in  its  native  and 
primitive  condition,  owing  to  the  dangerous  proximity 
of  these  savages,  who  would  most  certainly  run  off 
with  both  scalps  and  cattle,  were  settlers  to  venture, 
situated  as  things  are  at  present,  to  establish  thorn- 
selves  in  the  locality. 

Lieutenant  F  ,  who  was  guide  and  had  arranged  the 
expedition,  intended  on  starting  to  have  hunted  on 
the  Horse  Shoe,  a  two  days'  farther  march  from  the 

u  2 


292  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

North  Fork ;  but  the  journey  up  quite  tired  our 
animals,  who  were  rather  a  poor  lot  owing  to  the 
best  teams  being  away  in  the  Black  Hills  with  the 
troops  at  the  "great  council,"  and  we  had  to  return 
without  getting  the  cream  of  the  sport  we  expected. 
We  hunted  instead  on  and  about  Laramie  Peak,  the 
highest  point  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and,  though 
we  should  probably  have  killed  more  game  on  the 
Horse  Shoe,  our  trip  was  enjoyable  and  pleasant  «s 
it  well  could  be,  and  the  bag,  which  consisted  of  2  elk, 
17  antelope,  35  blue  grouse,  54  sage-hens,  28  duck, 
25  hares,  2  rattlesnakes,  and  a  badger,  was  suffi 
ciently  mixed  to  show  that  the  sport  obtained  was 
both  excellent  and  varied. 

One  of  the  first  things  we  heard  on  our  arrival  at 
Fort  Sanders  was  that  three  white  men  had  been 
killed  and  scalped  on  the  very  ground  we  had  been 
shooting  over,  while  we  were  up  there.  The  follow 
ing  is  from  a  local  paper;  but  the  account  of  the 
other  poor  fellows,  who  were  both  scalped,  I  lost. 

Special  to  the  '  Sentintl.' 

FORT  LARAMIE,  Sept.  23. 

The  body  of  a  man  by  the  name  of  John  Little  was  just  brought 
into  this  post.  He  was  killed  by  Indians  near  the  mouth  of  the  North 
Fork  of  the  Laramie,  about  twenty  miles  from  this  post  and  not  far 
from  F.  M  Phillip's  ranch.  Some  of  his  stock  had  been  run  off,  and 
he  went  in  pursuit  of  it  last  Sunday,  which  was  the  last  time  he  was 
seen  alive.  His  body  was  found  yesterday.  The  ears  are  cut  off,  and 
his  nose  and  chin  look  as  if  they  were  shot  off.  He  is  also  shot 
through  the  body.  There  were  supposed  to  have  been  only  three 
Indians  in  the  party  that  killed  him. 

As  hunting  on  the  Indian  frontier  is  invariably 
attended  with  considerable  danger  to  small  or  badly- 


ABOUT  INDIANS.  293 

armed  parties,  and  as  the  most  unceasing  vigilance 
even  in  large  ones  is  required  to  prevent  the  loss  of 
cattle,  an  unprotected  train  of  horses  and  mules  being 
a  temptation  no  Indian  can  withstand,  a  few  words 
concerning  these  people  may  not  come  in  amiss,  par 
ticularly  now  that  the  Black  Hill  question  is  directing 
general  attention  to  Indian  affairs.  My  host  had 
been  many  years  on  the  frontier,  and  much  of  my 
Indian  information  I  got  from  him.* 

The  principal  Indian  tribes  between  the  Pacific  and 
about  here  are  the  Pi-Utes  (or  Water  Utes)  and  the 
Utes,  many  of  whom  reside  in  Utah,  and  are  some  of 
them  converts  to  the  Mormon  religion  ;  the  Shoshones 
or  Snakes ;  the  Dakotas  or  Sioux,  and  their  cousins 
the  Arapahoes  and  Cheyennes.  The  Pi-Utes  are  the 
same,  or  nearly  the  same,  as  the  Digger  Indians  of 
California,  though  perhaps  not  as  degraded.  There 
are  two  reservations  in  the  State  of  Nevada  possessed 
almost  entirely  by  these  Indians.  The  first  is  on  the 
Truckee  River,  and  near  the  southern  extremity  of 
Pyramid  Lake,  where  the  Indians  are  headed  by 
Win-ne-muck-a,  who  is  the  war  chief  of  the  nation ; 
the  second  is  on  Walker  Lake  and  along  Walker 
River,  where  the  Indians  have  for  their  leader  a 
gigantic  and  at  the  same  time  amiable  savage,  named 
Big  George,  who  is  their  peace  chief.  These  Indians 
are  still  nearly  in  a  wild  state,  and  seem  to  have  very 
little  respect  for  any  authority  save  that  of  the 
military.  They  wander  about  at  will,  and  seem  to 
have  direct  connection  with  the  tribes  of  the  north, 
by  means  of  trails  which  reach  out  to  the  N.W. 
*  See  Appendix  C. 


294  THE  TWO  AMEEICAS. 

across  the  Mud  Lake  Plain,  on  to  the  Madeline  Plains, 
and  thence  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Sacramento 
and  McLeod  rivers,  where  I  was  salmon  fishing  some 
pages  back.  There  is  a  considerable  quantity  of 
game  on  the  reservations,  but  the  principal  reliance 
of  the  Indians  is  on  fish.  For  winter  supplies  great 
numbers  of  rabbits  are  killed,  their  meat  smoked  and 
dried,  and  their  skins  made  into  robes.  Besides  the 
Indians  on  the  reservations,  there  are  other  small 
bands  which  roam  through  the  northern  portions  of 
the  State  of  Nevada,  and  commit  many  depredations 
on  the  white  settlers.  With  these  frequent  skirmishes 
occur,  and  their  numbers  are  rapidly  diminishing. 
These  fights,  however,  sometimes  assume  the  propor 
tions  of  respectable  actions,  and  the  stand  made  by  the 
Pi-Utes  on  the  Truckee  reservation  in  1860  is  even  now 
spoken  of  with  terror  by  the  people  of  that  region. 
In  this  action  young  Win-ne-muck-a  moved  about 
like  the  genius  of  destruction  and  incited  his  braves 
to  deeds  of  daring  and  cruelty.  Ormsby,  the  leader 
of  the  whites,  was  killed,  and  the  volunteers  driven  in 
confusion  off  the  field. 

The  Indians  are  very  superstitious,  and  some  of 
their  proceedings  are  of  the  most  puerile  description. 
Their  doctors  or  medicine-men  depend  in  great  part 
on  their  knowledge  of  sorcery  to  effect  a  cure,  and  it 
requires  considerable  fortitude  to  become  an  Indian 
doctor,  inasmuch  as  he  who  loses  a  patient  forfeits 
his  life.  When  one  of  their  number  falls  sick,  the 
Indians  gather  about  and  dance  near  the  patient 
during  the  whole  night,  singing  in  the  meantime 
a  weird  monotonous  song  until  daybreak,  when. 


THE  PI-UTES.  295 


becoming  almost  frantic  in  their  gestures  and  move 
ments,  they  chase  the  witch  far  off  on  the  plain.  They 
claim  that  the  patient  is  bewitched,  and  that  they  can 
hear  the  voices  of  the  witches  in  the  night  breeze. 
One  Pi-Ute  doctor  said  that  when  he  died,  if  the 
Indians  would  cut  him  to  pieces,  the  pieces  would  all 
unite  again  immediately,  and  that  he  would  ascend 
into  the  heavens  in  a  cloud  of  smoke.  This  was  too 
much  for  Indian  curiosity,  and  a  bystander  despatched 
the  doctor  with  a  blow  of  his  knife.  The  body  was 
then  cut  to  pieces,  but  much  to  the  disgust  of  all 
present  the  remains  of  the  poor  wretch  refused  to 
move,  and  were  left  on  the  ground  as  food  for  wolves. 
It  is  a  mistake  to  believe  that  their  chiefs,  as  such, 
have  much  power  over  the  members  of  the  tribe.  If 
their  war  expeditions  are  of  considerable  importance, 
their  chief  leads ;  but  in  making  war  or  preparing 
for  any  enterprise  of  moment,  the  darling  wish  of  the 
Indian  heart  is  to  meet,  and  smoke,  and  speak  in 
council.  It  is  here  that  the  leaders  are  most  at 
home,  and  it  is  here  that  they  make  their  greatest 
effort  to  impress  their  superiority  upon  the  other 
members  of  their  tribe.  In  these  councils  everything 
is  carried  on  with  the  greatest  decorum,  and  no 
speaker  of  any  nation  is  more  careful  of  his  oratory. 
They  have  a  war  and  a  peace  chief,  whose  power  is 
very  limited ;  and  several  sub-chiefs,  who  occupy 
about  the  relative  position  of  a  county  justice  of  the 
peace  in  civilised  communities.  The  laws  of  property 
are  well  understood  among  them,  and  he  who  owns 
several  ponies  is  considered  a  person  of  no  mean, 
importance,  and  is  respected  accordingly. 


296  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

Labour  devolves  upon  the  squaws,  and  in  summer 
time  they  are  engaged  in  getting  grass  seeds,  pine 
nuts,  &c.,  which  are  preserved  for  winter  use.  In 
fact  they  do  all  the  drudgery  of  the  camp,  and  while 
travelling  carry  the  loads.  An  Indian  who  has  any 
pretension  to  being  a  leading  man  has  as  a  general 
thing  two  or  three  wives,  who  roam  about  in  the 
most  abject  and  miserable  condition.  As  to  cleanli 
ness  among  the  Pi-Utes,  it  does  not  exist  even  in 
name.  Filth,  morning  noon  and  night,  is  always  to 
be  found.  Their  lodges  are  poorly  constructed,  and 
when  a  locality  becomes  so  dirty  as  to  be  no  longer 
endurable,  the  lodge  poles  are  pulled  up  and  the  band 
moves  off  to  some  new  and  clean  place.  So  it  is  from 
year  to  year,  always  moving,  always  careworn,  and 
always,  when  outside  of  the  reservations,  in  constant 
dread  of  the  American  soldiers. 

In  the  summer  of  1865  the  Pi-Utes  w^ere  very 
troublesome, and  killed  Lieutenant-Colonel  McDermot, 
who  was  at  that  time  in  command  of  the  district  of 
Nevada,  while  he  was  out  on  a  scout.  Active  opera 
tions  were  at  once  instituted  against  them,  and  two 
most  successful  actions  were  fought  against  them  by 
Major  Smith  and  Captain  Conrad.  These,  in  addition 
to  several  minor  skirmishes,  taught  the  savages  that 
it  would  be  well  for  them  to  be  more  careful  of  their 
behaviour  in  future.  The  north-western  portion  of 
the  state  has  been  kept  quiet  for  a  long  time,  and 
the  bands  about  Quins  or  Queen  River  were  nearly 
all  brought  in  as  prisoners  through  the  exertions  of 
my  friend  Colonel  Brackett  in  the  autumn  of  1867. 

As  to  religion,  it  is  doubtful  whether  these  Indians 


INDIAN  CHIEFS.  297 


have  any  belief  whatever  of  this  kind.  An  Indian 
religion  at  best  is  but  a  miserable  affair,  and  the 
Pi-Utes  seem  destitute  of  any.  They  are  a  revenge 
ful  and  cruel  race,  but  are  not  devoid  of  industry,  as 
their  labour  upon  the  farms  in  Long  Valley  and  upon 
the  Truckee  attest.  They  do  a  little  work  in  Virginia 
City  at  sawing  wood  and  other  light  jobs,  but  it  is 
impossible  to  get  them  to  work  underground  in  the 
silver  mines. 

Young  Win-ne-muck-a  is  a  man  of  a  good  deal  of 
mind,  and  is  moreover  one  who  is  really  anxious  to 
improve  the  condition  of  his  people.  He  wishes 
them  to  have  farms,  and  to  raise  large  herds  of  cattle 
and  horses.  Old  Win-ne-muck-a  is  among  the  wild 
Indians  of  the  nortb,  where  he  has  gathered  about  him 
a  large  band  of  renegades  from  the  Pi-Ute,  Shoshonee, 
and  Snake  tribes.  He  became  incensed  against  the 
whites  on  account  of  the  cruel  and  unnecessary 
murder  of  his  wives  and  children  near  the  banks  of 
the  Pyramid  Lake  by  a  party  in  1864,  and  then  and 
there  swore  he  would  have  a  terrible  and  unrelenting 
revenge  against  civilised  people.  He  has  more  than 
made  his  threat  good,  and  several  massacres  which 
have  taken  place  in  Northern  Nevada  can  be  traced 
directly  to  him.  In  early  times  the  Pi-Utes  had  a 
terrible  war  with  the  Wnshoes,  and  after  desolating 
them  carried  off  all  their  horses  and  many  of  their 
best-looking  women.  For  years  the  Washoes  were 
kept  in  subjection,  and  it  was  only  after  the  whites 
settled  the  country  that  they  again  got  the  right  to 
own  horses  and  arms,  and  keep  their  women  for 
themselves. 


298  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

As  a  tribe  the  Pi-Utes  are  singularly  free  from  the 
vice  of  intemperance.  Most  tribes  take  to  intoxicat 
ing  liquors  with  a  love  which  is  only  given  up  at 
death,  but  these  Indians  do  not  like  liquor,  and  as  a 
rule  it  is  difficult  to  get  them  to  take  it.  Their 
women  are  virtuous,  and  unchastity  is  punished  with 
death.  This  may  appear  strange  among  a  people 
who  seem  to  be  so  utterly  degraded,  but  still  it  is 
true.  The  poor  women  lead  a  sad  and  unhappy  life, 
and  one  which  to  a  civilised  being  seems  utterly 
hopeless,  but  among  all  the  sins  committed  by  them 
that  of  unchastity  is  not  numbered. 

Gambling  is  a  besetting  sin  of  the  Indian  men,  and 
they  risk  all  they  have,  ponies,  horses,  bows,  arrows, 
and  whatever  else  they  own,  on  a  game  called  by  the 
whites  "Pi-Ute  Poker."  In  this  game  five  cards  are 
dealt  out  to  each  man,  and  one  pile  is  left  in  the 
centre.  The  one  nearest. the  dealer  picks  up  a  card, 
and  if  necessary  discards  one,  and  he  who  can  first 
get  three  pairs  takes  the  stakes.  I  remember  watch 
ing  one  of  these  games  for  some  time  at  Virginia 
City,  and  a  queer-looking  card  party  they  made,  as 
"  bucks  "  and  "  squaws "  sat  in  a  circle  under  the 
shade  of  a  deserted  house,  perfectly  indifferent  to  the 
din  of  engines  and  machinery  at  work  all  round 
them.  The  men  were  all  painted  with  red  and  yellow 
colours,  and  wore  white  low-crowned  felt  hats, 
evidently  recently  purchased.  The  women  sat  to 
gether,  some  of  them  with  children  in  the  curious 
wicker-work  cages  slung  on  their  backs,  and  appeared, 
as  far  as  I  could  judge,  to  play  against  the  men. 
Plenty  of  silver  was  in  circulation,  and  one  good- 


SHOSHONEE  OR  SNAKE  INDIANS.  299 

looking  squaw,  who  was  gambling  freely,  had  quite  a 
pile  of  dollars  by  her.  As  to  the  number  of  these 
Indians  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  judge,  but  there 
cannot  be  over  four  thousand  of  them  in  Nevada, 
with  perhaps  two  thousand  more  in  Oregon,  Idaho, 
and  Utah.  There  is  also  a  small  band  in  Northern 
Arizona.  Outside  of  the  reservations  they  are 
rapidly  diminishing,  and  a  few  years  hence  all  of 
them  will  be  numbered  with  the  things  that  were. 
They  are  departing  for  ever;  the  smoke  of  their 
council  fires  is  becoming  less  frequent ;  the  plains  and 
mountain  sides  of  Nevada  will  soon  cease  to  echo 
back  their  footsteps,  and  all  will  be  gathered  to  "the 
land  of  the  hereafter." 

The  Shoshonee  or  Snake  Indians  number  about  eight 
thousand,  and  wander  through  Idaho,  Northern  Utah, 
Wyoming,  Montana,  Southern  Oregon,  and  Cali 
fornia.  The  small  tribe  who  under  Captain  Jack  gave 
so  much  trouble  at  the  lava  beds,  about  sixty  miles 
from  where  I  was  fishing  in  Northern  California,  was 
composed  of  about  equal  numbers  of  Modocs  and 
Snakes.  The  tribal  relationship  between  the  Shos- 
honees,  Bannacks,  and  Comanches  is  very  close,  and 
any  one  speaking  the  Shoshonee  language  could 
travel  without  difficulty  from  Mexico  to  Oregon.  Of 
course  each  band  has  its  peculiarities,  but  in  the  main 
they  are  much  alike,  and  if  they  could  be  combined, 
would  form  one  of  the  most  powerful  Indian  con 
federations  in  America. 

A  Shoshonee  brave  in  full  dress  is  a  very  great 
dandy,  and  thinks  no  u  small  beer  "  of  himself.  He 
has  a  hunting  shirt  of  tanned  buckskin,  with  heavy 
fringes  of  the  same,  ornamented  with  rows  of  white 


300  THE  TWO  ANEE1CAS. 

and  pink  beads  on  the  shoulders  and  outside  of  the 
sleeves.  His  hair  is  carefully  combed  out  and  adorned 
with  brass  bosses.  Large  hoops  of  brass  form  his 
earrings.  His  moccasins  are  highly  embroidered. 
His  trowsers  are  gay-coloured  and  fit  loosely.  An 
embroidered  belt  hangs  over  his  left  shoulder,  and  a 
tomahawk  completes  his  equipment. 

The  Sioux  are  a  nation  numbering  nearly  forty 
thousand,  and  are  by  far  the  most  numerous  and 
powerful  tribe  of  the  North  American  Continent. 
In  their  own  dialect  these  Indians  call  themselves 
Dakotas.  For  centuries  past  they  have  held  sway 
over  the  whole  of  the  north-western  portion  of 
the  United  States  lying  near  the  head  waters  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  along  a  great  portion  of 
the  Missouri.  They  have  been  and  are  "  the  lords 
of  the  plains ; "  and  every  man  and  animal  that  has 
passed  through  their  country  for  ages  past  has  done 
so  only  with  their  permission.  They  are  brave, 
hardy,  and  warlike,  and  able  to  bring  into  the  field 
such  numbers  of  men  as  to  override  their  weaker 
neighbours  and  keep  them  in  the  proper  degree  of 
subjection.  In  general  terms,  all  Sioux  Indians 
living  north  and  east  of  the  Missouri  River  are 
Santee  Sioux,  while  those  living  south  mid  west  of 
that  stream  are  Teton  Sioux.  Of  late  years,  how 
ever,  these  names  have  got  greatly  mixed  up.  This 
tribe  is  divided  into  several  bands;  named  re 
spectively,  Sisseton,  Warpeton,  Cutliead,  Brule, 
Ogallala  or  Red  Clouds,  Minneconjou,  Yanctonai, 
Yankton,  Uncapa,  Two  Kettle,  Sans- Arc,  Blackfeet, 
and  San  tees  Proper.  It  must  not  be  understood 
from  this  that  all  these  bands  are  clearly  and  fully 


SIOUX  On  DAKOTAS.  301 

defined.  The  Indians  have  a  way  of  mixing  them 
selves  up  from  time  to  time,  so  that  it  is  utterly  out 
of  the  question  for  a  white  man  to  make  out  much 
in  regard  to  them.  When  any  depredation  of  a 
peculiarly  aggravated  character  is  committed,  the 
Indians  help  one  another,  and  endeavour  to  make  it 
appear  that  they  themselves  are  unable  to  find  the 
criminals,  on  account  of  the  number  of  different 
hands.  These  bands  occupy  an  immense  extent  of 
country,  and  are  able  on  occasions  to  bring  into  the 
field  more  than  five  thousand  warriors  well  armed 
and  mounted. 

For  years  past  they  have  dictated  their  own  terms 
to  both  white  and  red  men,  and  have  declared  their 
intention  to  continue  such  a  course  in  the  future. 
The  members  of  this  tribe  are  personally  brave,  and 
all  the  men  are  trained  soldiers  and  hunters.  They 
make  no  concealment  of  their  supposed  ability  to 
defeat  the  people  of  the  United  States  whenever  and 
wherever  they  are  so  minded,  and  point  to  the 
various  battles  in  which  they  have  beaten  the 
whites  in  proof  of  this  assertion.  Nothing  but  an 
overwhelming  defeat  and  humiliation  will  convince 
them  of  the  absurdity  of  this  belief. 

They  have  plenty  of  horses,  the  very  best  kind  of 
arms,  a  full  supply  of  ammunition,  and  it  will  be 
no  joke  to  conquer  them ;  but  whatever  may  be  the 
cost,  it  will  have  to  be  done  sooner  or  later,  and  the 
recent  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Black  Hills  must 
shortly  bring  things  to  a  climax.* 

*  This  \vas  -written  prior  to  the  recent  war  and  the  slaughter  of 
General  Ouster  and  his  entire  command. 


302  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

The  Sisseton  and  Warpeton  bands  have  two 
reservations.  One  at  Lake  Travense,  Dakota,  con 
taining  1,241.000  acres,  where  there  are  1500  Indians. 
The  other  is  near  Devil's  Lake,  Dakota,  where 
there  are  over  700  Indians,  including  the  Cutheads. 
These  Indians  lived  in  Minnesota  at  the  time  of  the 
frightful  massacres  in  that  state,  and  murdered 
many  people,  including  both  women  and  children, 
in  cold  blood. 

The  Yanktons,  numbering  about  2000,  are  located 
in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Dakota  Territory, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Missouri  River,  about  fifty 
miles  from  the  town  of  Yankton,  upon  a  reservation 
of  400,000  acres.  This  reservation  is  nearly  all 
rolling  prairie  set  apart  for  them  by  the  treaty  of 
1858,  of  the  tract  then  ceded  by  them  to  the  United 
States.  They  have  not  been  much  inclined  to  work, 
and,  although  there  is  good  land  within  their 
reservation,  are  poor,  having  still  to  be  supported  in 
a  great  measure  by  the  Government. 

The  Uncapapa,  Black  feet,  Yanctonai,  Sans- Arc, 
Brule/,  Two  Kettle.  Minneconjou,  and  Ogallala  bands 
are  located  at  five  different  agencies — viz.  the 
Upper  Missouri  or  Crow  Creek  Agency,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Missouri;  Grand  River  Agency,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Cheyenne  River ;  the  Whetstone 
Agency  (so  called  from  its  former  location  at  the 
junction  of  the  Whetstone  with  the  Missouri  River), 
on  the  White  River,  about  225  miles  west  of  the 
Missouri ;  and  the  Red  Cloud  and  Spotted  Tail 
Agency  in  Nebraska. 

The    Indians    at    the    agencies   number    in    the 


SIOUX  OK  DAKOTAS.  303 

aggregate  over  22,000.  They  Lave  a  reservation  set 
apart  for  them  by  the  treaty  of  1868,  containing 
about  25,000,000  acres  lying  west  of  the  Missouri 
River  and  north  of  Nebraska.  For  years  these 
Indians  have  been  hostile.  They  are  doing  every 
thing  in  their  power  to  prevent  the  completion  of 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  show  their 
deep-rooted  hatred  to  the  whites  on  every  possible 
opportunity. 

For  several  years  past  the  Sioux  have  been  laying 
in  an  ample  supply  of  arms  and  ammunition,  for  the 
purpose  of  commencing  a  war  upon  the  people  of  the 
United  States ;  and  late  atrocities  committed  by  them 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  they  are  now,  not  only 
ready,  but  anxious,  to  have  the  war  commence. 

The  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  has  always  been  a 
thorn  in  the  side  of  the  Sioux,  and  many  of  them 
have  sworn  by  the  ashes  of  their  fathers  that  it  shall 
not  be  built.  They  say  the  road  will  destroy  their 
land,  and  the  engines  will  sing  the  death-knell  of 
their  people.  The  Great  Spirit  is  angry  with  them 
for  allowing  the  road  to  be  started  west  of  the  Missis 
sippi  River,  and  the  shades  of  the  dead  of  their  deserted 
graveyards  watch  at  night  in  the  hollow  caves  of  the 
mountains,  while  they  wail  over  the  degeneracy  of 
their  children,  who  are  about  to  be  overcome  by  the 
white  men.  The  sun  goes  down  in  blood ;  the  storm 
clouds  gather  in  the  Spirit  Land  ;  and  the  children  of 
the  nation — if  any  are  left — will  become  pigmies,  who 
will  have  no  dwellings  except  in  the  branches  of 
thorn,  bushes. 

It  is  impossible  to  tell  how  long  the  Sioux  have 


304  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

had  possession  of  the  country  which  is  now  occupied 
by  them.  They  were  found  on  the  grounds  they  nowr 
occupy  when  the  French  discovered  them,  and  were 
known  as  Naudowisses.  As  they  required  new  lands, 
they  made  war  upon  the  neighbouring  tribes,  and 
carried  their  conquests  far  to  the  north  and  west. 
They  always  had  able  leaders,  and  this  no  doubt 
is  the  secret  of  their  successes.  They  are  a  stolid 
race  of  men,  and  only  seem  to  get  thoroughly  waked 
up  when  murdering  or  robbing.  Their  cruelty  to 
prisoners  taken  by  them  knows  no  bounds.  When 
found  they  were  a  powerful  nation  of  Indians,  and 
have  held  that  power  until  the  present  day.  At  times 
they  have  pretended  to  be  friendly  with  the  whites, 
but  this  was  only  to  get  some  great  advantage  over 
their  Indian  enemies.  In  diplomacy  they  are  fully 
equal  to  the  whites,  and  in  almost  every  instance 
where  they  have  made  treaties  they  have  retained  a 
decided  advantage  to  themselves.  In  peace  and  war 
they  are  cunning,  revengeful,  and  sneaking,  and  little 
or  no  dependence  can  be  placed  on  what  they  say. 
As  winter  approaches  these  Indians  become  very 
friendly  to  the  whites,  as  they  wish  to  get  as  much  out 
of  them  as  they  possibly  can  in  the  way  of  food  and 
ammunition  ;  but  when  spring-time  returns  they  com 
mence  depredations  which  last  until  the  grass  begins 
to  die  on  the  prairies,  and  there  is  no  longer  anything 
left  for  their  horses  to  eat.  In  the  summer  it  is  easy 
for  them  to  hide  their  women  and  children  in  the 
mountains,  where  there  is  no  difficulty  about  getting 
enough  for  them  to  subsist  on;  but  during  the  cold 
winter  months  they  live  in  the  thick  bushes  near  the 


THE  BLACK  HILLS.  305 

margins  of  the  streams,  and  behave  comparatively  well. 
Soldiers  might  almost  as  well  attack  a  whisp  of  snipe 
as  attack  those  Indians  during  the  summer  months, 
as  they  disappear  with  almost  equal  facility ;  but  in 
winter,  when  they  have  all  their  camp  equipage  with 
them,  they  can  easily  be  overcome  and  severely 
punished. 

Ked  Cloud  and  Spotted  Tail,  two  leading  men  of 
the  Sioux,  have  been  at  Washington  to  visit  the 
Great  Father,  and  both  have  an  abiding  sense  of  the 
power  of  the  United  States.  This  seems,  however,  to 
have  very  little  effect  upon  the  majority  of  their  tribe, 
who  are  panting  to  be  on  the  war-path  with  all  its 
dangers  and  excitements.  The  older  Indians  are  con 
tent  to  stay  in  comfortable  lodges  and  behave  them 
selves  ;  but  the  young  men  scorn  such  effeminacy, 
and  long  for  the  day  when  they  may  meet  their 
foemen  (no  matter  who)  in  the  shock  of  battle.  One 
of  them,  talking  in  his  broken  way,  made  this  state 
ment,  as  related  by  Colonel  Brackett :  "  Me  got  heap 
of  horses  ;  heap  of  squaw ;  plenty  good  grub  ;  but  me 
no  got  scalp.  All  the  time  squaws  say,  '  Why  you  110 
get  scalp,  same  like  oder  Injen  ?'  "  Here  is  the  secret 
of  the  desire  to  go  on  the  war-path — it  is  to  get  scalps, 
in  order  that  they  may  make  a  great  figure  in  the 
eyes  of  their  nation,  and  be  honoured  as  becomes  a 
great  warrior. 

This  desire  to  get  scalps  may  soon  be  gratified. 

At  the  time  I  write  news  has  just  been  published 
of  the  utter  failure  of  the  Commissioners  sent  by  the 
United  States  to  treat  with  the  Sioux  for  the  pur 
chase  of  the  Black  Hills.  Spotted  Tail,  Chief  of  the 

x 


306  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

Brule's ;  Red  Cloud,  Chief  of  the  Ogallalahs ;  Red 
Dog,  Orator  of  the  Sioux  nation  ;  Little  Bad  Man, 
Chief  of  a  northern  band  ;  Swift  Bear,  a  Chief  of  the 
Two  Kettle  band  from  the  Cheyenne  Agency  ;  Lone 
Horn,  Chief  of  the  Arrapahoes ;  and  nearly  three 
hundred  chiefs  of  lesser  note  were  present.  After  a 
council  which  lasted  about  four  weeks,  the  Indian 
demands  were  so  preposterous  the  Commissioners 
had  to  break  up  the  conference,  and  both  parties 
retired  disgusted.  A  short  explanation  concerning 
the  cause  of  this  unusual  Commission  is  perhaps 
necessary  to  some  of  my  readers,  and  a  very  few 
words  will  suffice  to  put  them  in  possession  of  the 
leading  facts 

In  the  Black  Hills,  a  part  of  the  Sioux  reservation, 
large  and  valuable  deposits  of  gold  have  recently 
been  discovered.  This  news  becoming  widely 
spread,  numbers  of  men  rushed  to  the  spot  regard 
less  of  the  fact  that  the  land  belonged  exclusively  to 
the  Indians.  The  United  States  troops  were  then 
despatched  to  preserve  the  integrity  of  the  Indian 
reservation,  and  soon,  by  a  judicious  mingling  of 
the  suaviter  in  modo  and  fortiter  in  re,  persuaded  the 
miners  to  retire;  informing  them  that  a  Commis 
sion  would  shortly  be  appointed  from  Washington 
to  treat  with  the  Sioux  for  the  purchase  of  this  part 
of  their  territory,  and  that  they  might  then  legally 
resume  their  labours.  The  miners  retired,  and  the 
Commission  sat.  The  Indians  demanded  $70,000,000 
•as  the  price  of  the  land.  Red  Cloud,  in  his  speech, 
said  six  generations  of  Indians  had  passed  away. 
The  only  condition  on  which  the  Sioux  nation  would 


THE  BEGINNING  OF   THE  END.  307 

sell  the  hills  would  be  a  guarantee  that  the  Indians 
should  be  provided  for  during  the  next  six  genera 
tions.  An  Indian  generation  is  one  hundred  years. 
He  said  he  considered  the  hills  more  valuable  in  the 
precious  metals  than  the  entire  wealth  of  the  United 
States.  He  proposed  to  ask  a  large  sum  for  them ; 
the  principal  to  be  put  at  interest,  and  from  the 
latter  to  derive  sufficient  to  keep  the  Sioux  nation. 
In  addition  he  wanted  for  each  head  of  an  Indian 
family  six  yoke  of  oxen,  a  waggon,  a  span  of  horses, 
harness,  a  bull,  a  cow,  a  sow,  a  boar,  a  sheep,  a  ram, 
chickens,  coffee,  tea,  sugar,  rice,  cracked  corn,  beans, 
dried  apples,  and  a  host  of  other  articles.  He  enum 
erated  also  house  and  furniture,  the  same  as  white 
men.  He  said  the  Government  were  trying  to  make 
a  white  man  out  of  him,  and  he  wanted  to  indulge 
the  white  men.  The  other  chiefs'  demands  were 
equally  preposterous,  and  seeing  that  there  was  not 
the  most  remote  probability  of  a  settlement  ever 
being  arrived  at,  the  parties  engaged  separated,  each 
mutually  disgusted  with  the  other. 

The  miners  all  this  time  were  quietly  watching  the 
conference,  and  those  who  left  the  Hills  upon  the 
understanding  that  the  Government  were  about  to 
purchase  them  are  now  preparing  to  return.  All 
negotiations  having  failed,  neither  fear  of  the  Indians 
nor  dread  of  the  troops  will  scare  these  hardy  and 
desperate  men  from  their  race  for  gold.  There  is  not 
a  town  of  the  smallest  importance  anywhere  near  the 
Hills  where  these  men  are  not  quietly  fitting1  out. 
The  Government  being  unable  to  manage  affairs, 
they  will  do  so  themselves ;  and  a  very  short  time 

x  2 


308  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

will  see  the  ambition  of  the  young  Sioux  braves 
realised,  arid  every  opportunity  be  given  them  for 
gathering  scalps.  A  few  stray  murders  have  already 
been  committed.  During  the  time  I  was  hunting  in 
the  vicinity  of  Laramie  Peak,  three  white  men  were 
killed  and  scalped  in  the  very  section  of  country  we 
were  wandering  over.  It  is,  however,  the  beginning 
of  the  end — Gold,  the  great  civilising  agent  of  the 
world,  is  hard  at  work — and  nothing  can  now  stop 
the  tide  of  adventurous  and  desperate  men  flocking 
in  on  the  coveted  possessions.  These  forerunners 
of  civilisation,  though  in  themselves  unscrupulous, 
vindictive,  and  cruel  as  the  savages  they  are  destined 
to  replace,  will  soon  become  possessed  of  a  firm 
footing.  The  legitimate  trader  will  rapidly  follow  in 
their  footsteps  ;  the  settler  will  gradually  appear  ;  and 
in  time  railroads  and  a  distinct  form  of  municipal 
government  will  render  the  at  present  dangerous 
and  formidable  Sioux  as  innocuous  and  peaceable  as 
the  few  remaining  Indian  tribes  so  rapidly  becoming 
extinct. 

During  my  stay  at  Fort  Sanders,  President  Grant 
passed  through  Laramie,  and,  all  the  officers  going  to 
pay  their  respects,  Colonel  B.  was  good  enough  to 
invite  me  to  join  them.  On  arriving  at  the  railway 
station  I  found  a  small  crowd  of  people  waiting  for 
the  President's  arrival,  and  not  long  afterwards  his 
train  drew  up  and  halted  by  the  platform.  I  never 
saw  less  enthusiasm  at  the  reception  of  any  dis 
tinguished  individual  than  was  displayed  here.  For 
some  moments  the  crowd  seemed  undecided  as  to 
who  was  the  President,  and  a  man  near  me  shouted 


PRESIDENT  GRANT.  309 

out,  "Which  is  Grant?"  "I  guess  he's  that  red- 
faced  coon  in  a  plug  hat,"  replied  another,  in  a  by  no 
means  sotto  voce  tone ;  and  this  information  seeming 
to  be  sufficient,  the  mob  shortly  afterwards  raised 
a  faint  cheer.  The  Governor  of  the  territory  now 
announced  to  the  assembly  that  he  had  the  pleasure 
of  introducing  to  them  the  President  of  the  United 
States ;  and  General  Grant,  coming  forward  and 
leaning  over  the  platform  of  the  car  on  which  he 
was  standing,  extended  his  hand  mechanically  to  be 
shaken  by  the  crowd  assembled  to  do  him  honour. 
Every  one  so  disposed  gave  it  a  wring,  but  during 
the  entire  operation,  which  lasted  for  several  minutes, 
I  never  once  saw  his  Excellency  open  his  mouth. 
The  hand-shaking  business  having  at  length  termin 
ated  outside,  Colonel  B.  and  the  rest  of  us  went  into 
the  car,  and  shortly  afterwards  I  had  the  honour  of 
being  presented  to  the  President  of  the  United  States 
and  Mrs.  Grant,  who  was  travelling  with  him.  His 
Excellency  evidently  thought  it  hard  enough  work 
to  do  all  the  hand-shaking  required,  as  he  rarely  said 
a  word  to  any  of  us.  With  Mrs.  Grant  I  had  a  few 
minutes'  conversation,  and  on  making  my  conge  she 
was  kind  enough  to  express  a  hope  that  I  would  call 
on  them  at  Washington.  Accustomed  to  witness 
the  enthusiasm  which  invariably -welcomes  not  only 
Her  Gracious  Majesty,  but  all  people  of  any  eminence 
visiting  England,  I  was  certainly  astonished  at  the 
quiet  undemonstrative  manner  with  which  the  Chief 
Magistrate  of  their  nation  was  welcomed  in  America ; 
and  considering  the  President's  great  successes  as 
a  soldier,  as  well  as  his  abilities  as  a  ruler,  I  certainly 


310  THE  TWO  AMEPJCAS. 

expected  that  some  kind  of  ovation  would  have 
welcomed  his  arrival. 

Shortly  after  the  little  episode  of  the  presidential 
visit  one  of  the  officers  was  ordered  to  Nebraska  on 
court-martial  duty.  Prairie  chicken  shooting  in  this 
state  is  celebrated ;  there  was  also  a  chance  of  getting 
elk,  and  I  willingly  accepted  an  invitation  to  join 
him  for  the  trip.  Our  first  halt  was  at  North  Platte, 
a  mushroom  town  named  after  the  river,  which  winds 
along  the  fine  alluvial  bottoms  of  the  prairie,  affording 
plenty  of  opportunities  for  irrigation,  when  an  in 
creased  population  provides  the  necessary  labour. 
At  present  agricultural  enterprise  appears  limited  to 
the  raising  of  stock,  but  very  few  years  can  elapse 
ere  thriving  farms  line,  at  any  rate,  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  railway  that  passes  through  such 
favourable  ground.  A  one-company  post  is  situated 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  town,  and  sixteen 
miles  farther  off  is  Fort  Macpherson,  which  generally 
contains  a  more  considerable  garrison. 

From  North  Platte  one  gets  into  the  buffalo 
country.  Close  to  Macpherson  they  are  often  found 
in  large  quantities,  and  even  near  the  town  of  North 
Platte  they  are  frequently  killed.  But  a  very  few 
years  back  these  prairies  were  covered  with  them, 
though  the  accounts  of  slaughter  which  everywhere 
greeted  me  renders  it  more  than  probable  that  by  the 
time  my  prophecy  concerning  the  farms  is  fulfilled  a 
buffalo  will  be  as  rare  as  a  dodo.  At  present  the  best 
place  to  find  them  is  on  the  Republican,  where  they 
still  abound  in  herds  occasionally  so  large  that  as  far 
as  the  eye  can  reach  the  plains  seern  alive  with  them. 


THE  LOUP   VALLEY.  311 

Our  next  halt  was  at  Grand  Island,  a  small  town 
named  after  an  island  on  the  Platte  about  two  miles 
distant.  A  good  deal  of  the  country  here  seems 
cultivated,  but  it  has  the  same  level  unpicturesque 
appearance  that  characterises  for  many  miles  each 
bank  of  the  river,  and  I  was  glad  to  break  the  spell  of 
monotony  inseparably  attached  to  travelling  through 
flat  land  in  a  railway  carriage.  Our  party  consisted 
of  six  officers  besides  myself,  and  our  destination  was 
Fort  Hartsuff,  a  post  on  the  Loup  Eiver,  two  days' 
drive  from  our  starting-point.  In  pleasant  company 
one  can  dispense  with,  or  at  any  rate  cease  to  crave 
after,  lovely  scenery ;  and  though  our  route  lay  along 
the  side  of  the  Loup  River,  through,  for  many  miles, 
a  rolling  prairie  without  a*  tree  or  hill  to  enliven  it, 
we  all  managed  to  enjoy  the  drive  immensely.  The 
non-shooters  went  in  a  trap  by  themselves,  and  the 
shooters  in  a  light  spring  waggon  with  a  four-mule 
team.  We  had  plenty  of  time  to  take  things  leisurely, 
arid  as  each  field  of  Indian  corn  was  irivariaby  full  of 
prairie  chickens  we  had  some  very  pleasant  sport 
along  the  road,  until  we  arrived  at  Beebys,  a  small 
wayside  farmhouse,  where  we  halted  for  the  night. 
The  houses  in  the  Loup  Valley  are  built  in  a  style  of 
architecture  quite  peculiar  to  the  locality,  and  only 
on  the  island  of  Feenish,  a  small  barren  sandbank 
on  the  coast  of  Connemara,  have  I  ever  seen  anything 
like  them.  Partly  owing  to  the  extreme  severity  of 
the  winter,  and  partly  owing  to  a  great  paucity  of 
timber  for  building  purposes,  the  ground  selected 
for  the  site  of  a  house,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  is 
so  close  to  a  steep  hill,  that  by  a  little  judicious 


312  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

engineering  the  occupant  is  enabled  to  burrow  a  room 
out  of  the  mountain.  These  houses,  though  small, 
are  comfortable  enough,  being  cool  in  summer  and  hot 
in  winter,  but  their  appearance  has  a  look  of  origin 
ality  and  desolation  not  to  be  found  elsewhere. 
Beebys  was  no  exception,  and  a  queerer-looking 
crib  I  have  seldom  put  up  at.  Accommodation  was 
necessarily  somewhat  scanty,  but  we  found  a  capital 
hostess,  got  excellent  food,  and  our  party  of  seven 
were  glad  enough  to  settle  down  for  the  night  in 
a  room  of  some  twelve  by  fourteen  feet,  with  but 
three  beds  between  us,  where  we  chatted  and  smoked 
well  into  midnight. 

What  fun  it  was  listening  to  the  stories  my  com 
panions  told  of  frontier  life.  They  had  all  been  for 
years  away  from  civilisation,  and  had  all  passed 
through  the  extraordinary  scenes  consequent  on  first 
settling  strange  lands,  many  hundreds  of  miles  from 
the  arm  of  law  or  the  reign  of  order.  Some  of  the 
early  episodes  of  life  in  Arizona,  where  a  rush  upon 
mining  had  collected  hordes  of  the  greatest  ruffians 
on  the  continent  into  a  comparatively  small  space, 
would  have  afforded  groundwork  to  a  sensational 
novelist  for  at  least  a  dozen  volumes.  One  gentle 
man,  a  Mr.  James  Duffield,  figured  prominently 
among  those  most  celebrated  for  a  contempt  of  life  in 
the  small  community  that  had  the  honour  of  his  society. 
"  A  man  for  breakfast,"  was  to  him  quite  an  ordinary 
affair,  and  among  the  desperadoes  in  Arizona  he 
was  looked  up  to  and  reverenced  as  became  so  pro 
minent  a  citizen.  Envy,  inseparable  from  greatness, 
however,  took  possession  of  a  neighbouring  ruffian, 


ANECDOTES  OF  THE  FRONTIER.  313 

whose  fame  as  a  quick  shot  was  completely  eclipsed 
by  the  greater  villainies  of  Duffield,  and  actuated  by 
acute  jealousy  he  stated  publicly  his  intention  of 
whipping  the  immortal  James  on  the  very  first  con 
venient  opportunity.  News  of  this  sudden  usurpation 
of  authority  was  soon  brought  to  Duffield,  and  shortly 
after  the  rival  claimants  met  in  Arizona.  The  new 
man,  well  primed  with  whisky,  swaggered  loudly  into 
a  saloon  frequented  by  Duffield,  and,  with  much 
bluster  and  many  strange  oaths,  demanded  to  be 
shown  his  enemy,  whom  he  did  not  even  know  by 
sight.  Duffield  with  extreme  courtesy,  for  he  prided 
himself  on  manners,  came  forward,  and  offered  to 
point  out  the  man  he  was  looking  for,  if  the  gentle 
man  in  question  would  come  into  the  street,  and  on 
his  accepting  the  proposition,  immediately  shot  him 
down  when  clear  of  the  doors ;  then  raising  his  hat 
to  his  prostrate*  foe,  said,  "  My  name  is  Jim  Duffield, 
and  them  ere,"  pointing  to  the  bleeding  orifices  in  the 
bewildered  sinner,  "are  my  visiting  cards."  After 
this  no  one  disputed  his  authority  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  somewhat  suddenly  about  six  months 

afterwards. 

Another  story  was  told  of  a  stranger,  who,  while 
on  a  visit  to  a  resident  in  the  town,  was  invited  by 
his  host  to  take  a  drink.  Having  decided  on  the 
tipple,  the  barman,  with  the  peculiar  grace  which 
belongs  to  professors  in  this  particular  branch  of 
industry,  commenced  manipulating  the  liquors,  i.e. 
pouring  them  from  glass  to  glass,  sometimes  over  a 
shoulder,  and  at  others  from  above  the  head,  varying 
the  operation,  however,  by  occasionally  seizing  a 


314  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

shot-gun,  and  presenting  it  at  the  door  right  across  the 
stranger's  nose,  which  unfortunately  appeared  always 
to  be  getting  in  the  way.  On  looking  round  to  find 
out  what  had  caused  this  unusual  pantomime,  he  just 
saw  a  figure  bob  back,  and  again  the  manufacture  of 
the  drink  went  on,  only,  however,  to  be  interrupted 
by  the  again  sudden  production  of  the  fowling-piece, 
which  was  always  as  conveniently  handy  as  lemon 
squeezer?  or  nutmeg  grater  to  the  presiding  genius 
of  the  bar.  This  comedy  was  gone  through  some 
four  times  before  the  drinks  were  handed  over ;  no 
remarks  on  the  subject  were  made,  and  his  friend 
quietly  smoked  his  cigar  as  if  it  were  an  affair  of  no 
kind  of  importance.  Would  he  have  another  drink  ? 
Thank  you,  no.  He  had  particular  business  at  home. 
A  letter  to  answer — a  telegram  to  send — anything,  he 
mentally  added,  to  get  away  from  this  confounded 
place.  They  reached  the  house,  and  were  shortly 
afterwards  at  dinner,  when  suddenly  the  host's  child, 
.a  boy  of  ten  years  old,  rushed  into  the  room  in  the 
highest  state  of  glee.  "  Bill  got  him  Pa — Bill  got 
him,"  he  loudly  exclaimed.  "Got  him  ;  got  who?" 
"  Why,  Pa,  Bill  got  that  fellow  he  was  trying  to 

shoot  when  you   and   Mr.  were  having  your 

cocktail."  It  seems  that  Mr.  Bill,  the  barman,  had 
turned  the  gentleman  who  was  shot  out  of  the 
saloon  ;  and  that  individual,  very  drunk,  had  retaliated 
by  trying  to  shoot  Mr.  Bill,  who  with  a  shot-gun  was 
equally  anxious  to  pot  him.  Neither  party  could  for 
some  time  get  a  favourable  chance  of  doing  execution 
until  at  last  virtue  was  triumphant,  and  Bill  the 
barman  reigned  supreme. 


FORT  HARTSUFF.  315 

These  stories  owe  everything  to  the  manner  in 
which  they  are  told,  and  lose  much  by  being  written, 
but  still  they  serve  to  illustrate,  both  being  perfectly 
true,  the  extraordinary  state  of  existence  of  the  first 
inhabitants  of  mining  towns  in  the  settled  territories. 

Our  next  day's  drive  was  more  interesting.  Settle 
ments  were  more  scattered,  hills  began  to  crop  up, 
we  constantly  passed  for  miles  close  to  the  banks 
of  the  river,  and  prairie  chickens  were  sufficiently 
numerous  to  keep  us  in  active  employment  until  we 
reached  Fort  Hartsuff,  just  in  time  for  dinner. 

Fort  Hartsuff,  a  small  one-company  post,  was,  when 
T  visited  it,  held  by  a  detachment  from  the  23rd 
Regiment  of  Infantry.  It  is  situated  a  few  hundred 
yards  from  the  North  Fork  of  the  Loup,  and  under 
its  protecting  wing  has  lately  sprung  into  existence 
the  few  log-houses  that  constitute  the  city  of  Calamus. 
The  Commanding-Officer,  a  Brevet  Colonel,  highly 
distinguished  in  the  late  war,  during  which  he  had 
been  severely  wounded,  happened  to  know  many  of 
my  old  friends  in  the  "  old  country,"  and  on  the 
duties  of  the  court-martial  being  satisfactorily  con 
cluded,  I  accepted  his  very  kind  offer  to  remain  behind 
and  have  a  hunt  from  his  command  after  black-tailed 
deer  and  elk. 

Six  miles  distant  from  Fort  Hartsuff,  along  the 
banks  of  the  river  (and  there  are  no  farms  over  a 
mile  from  them)  civilisation  and  the  latest  settlement 
end.  Both  forks  of  the  Loup,  as  well  as  the  Loup 
River  itself,  are  somewhat  singular,  their  breadth 
being  greatly  in  excess  of  their  depth.  In  no 
other  country  have  I  seen  the  bottom  so  uniformly 


THE  TWO  AMEHICA8. 


treacherous,  and  in  few  places  on  either  are  there 
any  really  good  fords.  For  many  miles  the  average 
depth  seldom  exceeds  six  inches,  yet,  owing  to  quick 
sands  and  shifting  bottom,  no  crossing  is  possible.  In 
this  respect  the  Platte  and  all  other  rivers  in  the  State 
of  Nebraska  are  very  similar,  and  the  few  fords  that 
exist  are  generally  only  known  to  the  herds  of  buffalo 
and  wild  Indians  who  wander  through  the  country. 
Forty  miles  to  the  south-east,  on  the  South  Fork  of 
the  Loup,  lies  the  Pawnee  preservation  ;  the  Yank- 
tons  are  sixty  miles  farther  ;  and  eighty  to  the  north 
east  are  planted  the  Santees.  The  Missouri  lies 
eighty-five  miles  due  north  through  a  country  possess 
ing  but  little  water  and  very  imperfectly  known; 
indeed,  up  to  the  present  I  fancy  it  has  never  been 
surveyed,  and  possessing  few  attractions  for  white 
settlers,  is  generally  tenanted  by  small  wandering 
bands  of  Indians,  who  unhesitatingly  scalp  any  small 
parties  of  whites  they  may  come  across  during  their 
peregrinations  on  this  debatable  land. 

Once  I  went  on  a  four  days'  hunt  among  the 
sand  hills.  We  camped  each  night  by  a  small 
water-hole  and  carried  fuel  with  us.  Like  waves  of 
the  sea  the  hills  extended  far  beyond  our  sight. 
Sparse  vegetation  covered  them,  but  occasionally 
some  of  the  valleys  were  fairly  meadowed  ;  and  as 
farther  to  the  northward  the  head  waters  of  the 
Elkhorn  and  Beaver  rivers  are  known  to  flow, 
I  should  fancy  that  a  party  sufficiently  strong  to  be 
able  to  afford  to  defy  Indians  might  get  good 
hunting,  as  certainly  the  ground  must  be  perfectly 
undisturbed.  We  killed  black-tailed  deer,  antelope, 


PRAIRIE  FIRES.  317 


and  white-tailed  deer,  besides  a  few  pin-tailed  grouse, 
but  met  with  no  elk,  though  occasionally  we  saw 
some  old  trails. 

It  is  hard  at  this  season  of  the  year  to  count  with 
any  degree  of  certainty  on  finding  game  even  in 
their  favourite  and  most-resorted-to  feeding  grounds. 
The  reason  was  obvious  enough.  Each  night  the 
distant  horizon  was  illuminated  to  the  sky  by 
gigantic  prairie  fires,  which  at  times  completely 
surrounded  us.  The  long  grass  is  now  like  tinder? 
and  when  once  fired,  no  one  can  possibly  tell 
where  the  conflagration  will  end.  For  days,  weeks, 
or  months  the  fire  may  still  sweep  unrelentingly 
onward,  destroying  winter  pasture,  and  scaring  the 
timid  denizens  of  the  plains  to  places  unfrequented 
and  pastumges  unknown.  Hunting  parties  cannot 
be  too  careful  at  this  season  both  in  lighting  and 
extinguishing  their  fires.  If  I  heard  of  one  case  I 
heard  of  at  least  twenty,  where  incautious  men  had 
burned  up  their  camps,  waggons,  and  even  mules, 
through  carelessly  firing  the  grass;  and  on  one 
occasion  I  narrowly  escaped  being  burned  out  myself. 
In  lighting  our  camp  fire  the  grass  about  it  became 
ignited,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  prompt  manner 
with  which  Buckshot,  our  guide,  seized  his  coat  and 
beat  out  the  flame,  we  most  undoubtedly  would  have 
lost  our  tents.  The  safest  plan  is  to  dig  a  small 
trench  round  the  intended  fireplace ;  the  party  should 
then  arm  themselves  with  horsecloths  to  beat  out 
the  flames  in  case  of  their  extending,  and  carefully 
burn  all  grass  within  a  radius  of  five  yards  from  the 
fire  to  be,  which  will  then  be  comparatively  sale. 


318  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

Apropos  of  fires,  when  travelling1  in  an  Indian 
country  much  precaution  should  be  taken,  particu 
larly  by  small  parties  at  all  desirous  of  retaining 
their  scalps.  Because  a  man  is  not  afraid  of  Indians, 
it  does  not  at  all  follow  that  he  should  be  such  an 
egregious  ass  as  ever  to  give  them  a  chance  of 
getting  what  frontier  men  term  '  *  dead  wood  on 
him;"  an  expression,!  take  it,indicative  of  the  seasoned 
stock  of  a  rifle  being  brought  into  close  proximity 
with  a  sleeping  white  man's  head.  The  hunters  on 
such  occasions  should  halt  at  least  an  hour  before 
sunset.  The  fire  should  be  made  of  the  driest  wood 
obtainable,  so  as  not  to  make  any  perceivable  smoke, 
it  being  remembered  that  an  Indian  can  see  smoke 
where  a  white  man  sees  nothing;  and  after  having 
cooked  and  eaten  their  dinners,  watered  their  horses, 
and  smoked  their  pipes,  by  which  time  it  will  be 
nearly  or  quite  dark,  they  should  quietly  march  on 
for  a  couple  of  miles  farther,  and  sleep  without  fires 
till  dawn.  In  very  dangerous  places,  of  course  one 
of  the  party  should  remain  awake,  but  unless  they 
are  all  very  thick-headed,  the  mules  will  make 
quite  enough  noise  on  the  approach  of  Indians  to  let 
any  average  hunter  know  that  something  unusual  is 
up.  No  man  with  the  slightest  pretension  to  be 
called  a  hunter  will  neglect  these  precautions,  and, 
as  a  general  rule,  in  hunting  parties,  it  is  only  fools 
who  get  scalped.  If  any  one  thing  more  than  another 
"  riles"  a  good  man,  it  is  for  some  lazy  idiot  to  say, 
"  I  ain't  afraid  of  Indians,"  as  an  excuse  for  his  not 
troubling  himself  with  ordinary  means  of  safety. 
No  man  worth  his  salt  is  afraid  of  Indians,  or 


PRAIRIE  DOGS.  319 


afraid  of  anything  on  earth  (barring  the  tip  of  a 
bailiff  or  a  protested  bill,  and  I've  known  a  few 
plucky  fellows  funk  them  most  confoundedly) ;  but  a 
good  hunter  and  brave  man  will  never  be  above 
circumventing,  by  his  own  caution  and  knowledge  of 
woodcraft,  the  savage  on  whose  native  prairie  love 
of  sport  and  adventure  may  send  him  wandering. 

One  more  hint  may  be  useful.  If,  notwithstanding 
these  precautions,  the  cheerful  war-whoop  of  the 
noble  savage  should  in  the  small  hours  of  morning 
echo  round  the  camp,  don't  seize  your  rifle  and  rush 
out  like  a  stampeded  mule,  but  seize  it  and  crawl 
out.  You  will  pretty  scon  know  whether  their  little 
game  is  cattle  or  scalps,  but  in  either  case  you  will 
be  better  able  to  form  an  opinion  and  decide  on 
further  action  lying  on  the  ground  than  standing 
exposed  to  the  bullets  of  the  Eed-skins  probably 
concealed  in  the  neighbouring  bushes,  who  may  after 
all  have  raised  the  shout  to  stampede  your  cattle,  arid 
who  will  only  give  a  few  volleys  from  their  place  of 
vantage  without  risking  a  closer  engagement. 

During  the  prairie  fires  two  or  three  farms  near 
HartsufT  were  entirely  destroyed,  through  their  owners 
neglecting  to  make  a  "fire-guard,"  i.e.  burning  with 
care  a  belt  twenty  yards  wide  round  their  most 
valuable  land  and  houses,  as  a  preventive  to  the  spread 
of  any  fires  so  common  on  the  prairie.  Round  the  fort 
a  good-sized  guard  was  cleared  out,  and  farmers  who 
neglect  such  precautions  deserve  to  suffer  for  their 
carelessness. 

In  this  part  of  Nebraska  there  are  a  fair  sprinkling 
of  prairie  dog  towns.  Why  the  odd  little  beast  should 


320  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

be  called  a  dog  (Spennophilus  ludovicianus)  I  don't 
know,  as  he  certainly  is  nol;  a  bit  like  one.  They 
are  small  rodent  animals  of  a  brown  colour  with  white 
bellle?,  and  somewhat  resemble  a  guinea-pig  both  in 
size  and  shape.  The  Indians  eat  them,  and  as  they 
live  principally  on  grass  and  roots  I  don't  see  why 
they  should  not  be  pretty  good.  Their  burrows  are 
the  mischief;  and  many  a  cropper  and  many  a  curse 
have  they  caused  the  reckless  or  excited  sportsman 
when  galloping  after  wounded  elk  or  buffalo. 

1  was  charmed  with  the  number  of  tame  elk  about 
Hartsuff.  Some  of  them  were  a  couple  of  years  old, 
and  fed  quietly  with  the  cattle,  whom  they  never  cared 
to  leave,  and  were  quite  as  tame  and  domesticated. 
When  pleased  they  make  a  little  plaintive  cry,  more 
melodious  than  the  squeak  of  an  infant,  and  not  so 
loud  as  the  cry  of  a  hare ;  but  I  know  no  sound  so 
touching  in  its  sweet  tone  of  entreaty,  or  so  perfect 
a  combination  of  an  appeal  and  salutation  coaxingly 
blended,  as  the  beautiful  cry  of  a  young  elk.  Occa 
sionally  they  have  been  trained  to  harness,  and 
"  Buckshot  "  drove  a  pair  about  Omaha.  They  are, 
however,  liable  to  sudden  frights,  and  sometimes 
startle  horses  in  other  men's  traps  not  accustomed  to 
seeing  them  ;  but  for  sleighing  in  such  a  wild  out 
landish  place  as  this,  where  there  are  few  horses  to 
frighten  and  no  trees  to  run  against,  I  cannot  imagine 
a  more  delightful  team. 

I  had  a  rather  close  shave  one  day  while  out 
shooting  with  Colonel  C.  I  had  just  killed  a  prairie 
chicken,  and  was  firing  at  another  with  the  same 
barrel,  when  my  gun  burst  badly.  One  barrel  flew 


A   CLOSE  SHAVE.  321 

about  twenty  yards  to  my  right,  and  fell  within  a  few- 
feet  of  the  Colonel,  the  other  went  fifteen  yards  to 
my  left;  the  stock  was  shattered,  and  the  small 
wooden  portion  which  acts  as  a  lever  to  the  gun 
opening  and  closing  went,  I  know  not  where,  as 
we  never  saw  it  again.  The  cartridges,  which  I  had 
loaded  myself,  only  contained  three  and  one  quarter 
drams  of  powder.  No  foreign  substance  could 
possibly  have  been  in  the  barrel,  as  I  had  discharged 
it  not  a  minute  previously,  and  of  what  could  have 
caused  such  a  terrible  blow-up  I  have  not  the 
faintest  idea.*  Nothing  but  the  oldfashioned  way  I 
have  of  holding  my  gun  saved  my  left  hand.  When 
an  exceedingly  small  boy,  my  father  (who  was  about 
the  very  best  all-round  sportsman  I  ever  met)  taught 
me  to  carry  my  left  hand  just  touching  and  partly 
inclosing  the  trigger-guard  ;  explaining  at  the  same 
time  that  by  doing  so  I  should  pave  my  fingers  in 
the  event  of  a  blow-up.  This  habit,  contracted  in 
extreme  youth,  stuck  to  me  through  life  ;  and  though 
or.ce  tempted  by  a  very  crack  pigeon  shot  to  alter  rny 
style,  the  old  leaven  was  too  strong,  and  instinctively 
I  returned  to  the  first  taught  lesson,  and  by  doing 
so  unquestionably  saved  my  hand,  the  wooden  piece 
before  mentioned,  which  nine  out  of  ten  among  the 
dove-slayers  at  Hurlingham  hold  on  to,  having 
been  blown,  I  naturally  presume,  to  "  smithereens." 
As  it  was,  I  only  had  my  head  slightly  cut  and  the 
forefinger  of  my  left  hand  bruised. 

*  I  discovered  afterwards  that  the  fault  lay  through  the  extractor 
being  improperly  bored  by  a  drunken  foreman.  The  maker,  after 
inspecting  the  barrels,  acknowledged  the  error  as  one  for  which  he  was 
responsible  and  supplied  me  with  a  new  gun. 

Y 


322  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

On  the  strength  of  my  remarkable  escape,  for  I 
never  before  even  read  of  such  an  unusually  bad 
burst  in  a  fowling-piece  where  the  holder  of  it  was 
not  seriously  injured,  I  do  most  strongly  recommend 
every  one  to  adopt  my  system  of  holding  a  shot-gun, 
which  is  quite  as  handy  as  any  other,  and  infinitely 
safer.  In  adopting  this  plan,  allow  the  left  hand  to 
slide  close  home  to  the  trigger-guard  during  the  up 
swing  to  the  shoulder.  Quick  shooting  is  as  easy 
this  way  as  any  other,  and,  though  no  pigeon  shot,  I 
have  killed  from  twenty  to  thirty-five  brace  of  snipe 
a  day  in  China  with  the  old  muzzleloader,  and 
walked  all  my  birds  up  into  the  bargain,  having  no 
dog.  This  is  quite  quick  enough  for  any  sportsman, 
and  though  nowadays  the  bursting  of  a  gun  is,  I 
am  happy  to  say,  more  unusual  than  when  muzzle- 
loaders  were  in  vogue,  and  excitable  spirits  in  a  hot 
corner  were  apt  to  rarn  two  charges  into  one  barrel, 
still  accidents  may  cccnr ;  and  I  must  again  urge,  at 
any  rate,  young  men  who  have  not  contracted  the 
Hurlingham  system  to  endeavour  to  adopt  mine. 

Having  failed  in  finding  elk  to  either  the  north 
or  east  of  the  post  during  the  three  and  four  days' 
trips  we  had  taken,  the  Colonel  determined  on  trying 
a  more  extended  journey  to  the  north-west,  on  the 
land  lying  between  the  North  Fork  of  the  Loup  and 
the  River  Calamus.  Our  outfit  comprised  a  strong 
fcpringless  waggon  with  four  mules>  which  \yas  to  be 
gcime  bag ;  and  another  light  hunting-waggon  with 
ti  faster  team,  in  which  we  ourselves  were  to  ride, 
arid  which  was  so  full  of  springs  that  at  sharp  turns 
there  was  no  small  difficulty  in  sitting  so  lively  a 


THE  LIVELY   WAGGON.  323 

conveyance.  The  Colonel  having  built  this  trap 
himself  was  exceedingly  proud  of  the  performance  ; 
and  on  smooth  roads  with  no  sharp  corners  it  really 
did  him  credit. 

Since  a  certain  distinguished  statesman,  who  shall 
he  nameless,  ruined  promotion  (as  well  as  some  other 
things  in  the  British  army  he  interfered  with)  by 
his  non-purchase  system,  I  think  this  waggon  might 
be  adopted  with  a  certain  degree  of  benefit  to  the 
service,  and  am  certain  it  would  soon  become  popular 
with  at  any  rate  the  younger  officers,  if  their  seniors 
would  only  ride  in  it. 

We  carried  tents,  had  led  horses,  and  were  guided 
by  the  scout  and  hunter  of  the  post — Conrad  Went/ 
worth,  better  known  as  Little  Buckshot.  Buck 
shot  was  quite  a  type  of  his  class,  and  an  uncom 
monly  good  type  into  the  bargain.  Eather  under 
the  average  height,  but  perfectly  formed  and  wiry 
as  steel,  about  five-and-thirty,  and  weighing  little 
over  ten  stone,  he  was  just  the  very  cut  of  man 
suited  to  hunt  elk,  Indians,  or  buffalo,  and  he  knew 
the  tricks  of  the  one  quite  as  well  as  he  did  the  habits 
of  the  other.  His  duties  as  scout  were  varied  and 
numerous.  At  one  time  he  hunted  Indians,  and  at 
another  game,  and  was  pretty  successful  with  both. 
Of  course  such  men  have  many  narrow  escapes 
during  a  life  spent  on  the  Indian  frontier,  and  at 
least  one  of  Buckshot's  will  bear  reciting,  as  illustra 
tive  of  the  caution  and  presence  of  mind  requisite  in 
such  a  calling. 

He  had  been  on  a  hunt  with  a  couple  of  other 
men,  in  a  country  known  to  be  pretty  hot  with 

'  Y  2 


324  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

Indians,  and  on  camping  for  the  night  was  much 
annoyed  to  find  that,  during  his  temporary  ahsence 
to  water  the  mules,  his  two  companions  had  lighted 
a  large  fire.  Kicking  off  some  of  the  blazing  logs, 
he  pointed  out  the  folly  of  such  a  proceeding,  and 
•urged  them  to  shift  camp  after  eating,  and  sleep 
without  any  fire.  The  night  unfortunately  was  cold, 
and  the  men  would  not  hear  of  moving.  They  knew 
as  much  of  Indians  as  he  did,  they  said,  and  had 
frequently  hunted  over  the  ground  before ;  one 
would  remain  awake,  and  nothing  was  to  be  feared. 
A  strange  feeling,  Buckshot  told  me,  made  him 
uneasy ;  an  indescribable  sense  of  something,  he 
knew  not  what,  being  about  to  happen  prevented 
his  getting  any  rest;  but  permitting  himself  to 
be  overruled — indeed,  his  arguments  were  quite 
unheeded  —  he  lay  down,  telling  the  man  who 
watched  first  to  call  him  when  the  moon  rose,  at 
which  time  vigilance  became  more  necessary.  A 
few  hours  afterwards  the  mules  commence  1  snorting, 
to  which  Buckshot  directed  the  attention  of  the  man 
on  watch.  He  went  towards  them,  but  returned 
almost  immediately  saying  it  was  only  a  coyote ; 
and  on  his  way  back  threw  a  lump  of  bark  on  the 
fire,  which  immediately  blazed  up ;  and  said,  in  reply 
to  the  remonstrance  of  his  more  sensible  companions, 

"  Oh,  Indians  be  d d  !  I  ain't  going  to  freeze  to 

death."  He  had  hardly  crept  under  the  blanket 
when  there  was  a  sudden  yell.  The  war-whoop  of 
the  Indians  resounded  in  the  night  air,  and  a  volley 
was  fired  into  their  bed-place  from  the  bushes.  One 
man  never  spoke  again ;  the  other  merely  said, 


BUCKSHOTS  ESCAPE.  325 

"  0  Jesus ; "  and  Buckshot,  who  lay  between  them, 
rolled  unhurt  over  his  dead  comrade  away  from  the 
fire.  One  Indian,  who  was  close  to  him,  he  shot  with 
a  revolver,  and  then  tearing  off  a  white  handker 
chief  he  wore  round  his  neck,  he  dashed  towards  the 
mules,  hending  to  the  ground  and  under  cover  of 
some  bushes.  On  reaching  them  he  found  an  Indian 
untying  the  lariat,  who,  in  the  dark  mistaking  him 
for  a  brother  savage,  addressed  him  in  the  native 
tongue.  He  was  on  the  point  of  sending  a  bullet 
through  him  when  he  recollected  that  the  shot  would 
at  once  attract  the  others,  and  struck  him  over  the 
head  instead  with  the  pistol  as  hard  as  he  could  let 
drive.  The  mule,  half  untied,  broke  loose  and 
galloped  down  the  canon ;  and  this  saved  his  life. 
The  Indians,  hearing  the  mule  make  off  at  such  a 
pace,  imagined  she  must  have  been  ridden,  and 
immediately  commenced  firing  at  her.  It  was  too 
dark  to  distinguish  a  rider  even  had  there  been  one, 
and  as  the  mule  was  not  shot  down  for  nearly  two 
minutes,  Buckshot  had  time  to  get  well  away  from 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  fatal  scene.  For  some 
time  he  was  undecided  how  to  act ;  however,  he  at 
last  determined  to  make  for  his  post,  some  twenty 
miles  off.  He  had  no  shoes,  and  the  ground  was 
covered  with  cactus  plants,  which  penetrated  and  cut 
to  pieces  his  feet,  as  well  as  the  coat  which  he 
wrapped  round  them.  The  twenty  miles,  however, 
had  to  be  done,  and  daybreak  saw  him  reach  the 
fort,  unharmed  by  Indians,  but  so  lacerated  about 
the  feet  that  three  months  elapsed  before  he  could 
again  put  on  a  boot. 


32G  TII^S  TWO  AMERICAS. 


On  our  first  day's  inarch  we  forded  the  Calamus, 
and  camped  on  the  banks  of  the  North  Loup;  and 
on  the  second  and  following1  ones  we  hunted  a  few 
miles  off  among  the  hills  nearly  parallel  to  the  line 
of  march  taken  by  the  waggons.  The  weather  was 
delightful  :  clear  sunny  days  with  a  sharp  keen  air, 
and  hard  frost  at  night,  sufficiently  cold  to  freeze 
water  in  our  tents,  though  a  small  stove  for  wood 
was  burned  in  each  of  them.  White-tailed  deer, 
antelope,  grouse,  and  chicken  fell  before  us,  but  still 
no  signs  of  elk.  We  had  a  capital  cook,  a  German, 
who  dressed  venison  wonderfully ;  so  we  shot,  and 
ate,  and  prayed  for  better  luck  in  future.  At  this 
season  of  the  year  elk  are  always  in  bands,  and  are 
consequently  not  easy  to  find,  owing  to  their  not 
being  scattered ;  and  in  such  a  country  as  we  were 
hunting  in,  consisting  as  it  did  of  innumerable  hills 
and  canons,  a  large  band  might  easily  be  passed 
without  detection,  unless,  of  course,  one  hit  upon 
their  trail. 

At  last  the  happy  day  arrived.  Early  one 
morning  Buckshot  came  on  the  trail  of  a  large  band 
of  elk,  and  soon  after  we  were  in  hot  pursuit.  The 
wind  was  in  the  right  direction,  and  about  three 
hours'  riding,  following  carefully  the  trail,  brought 
us  in  sight  of  the  band,  who  were  entirely  unsuspi 
cious  of  the  slightest  danger.  Picketing  our  horses, 
we  now  commenced  the  stalk  on  foot,  and  the  ground 
being  favourable  got  within  forty  yards  of  where 
they  were  making  their  mid-day  halt.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  imagine  a  more  perfectly  beautiful  sight. 
I  should  fancy  about  eighty  of  these  magnificent 


A  LAEGE  BAND   OF  ELK.  327 

animals,  of  different  ages,  sexes,  and  sizes,  were  in 
the  band.  Some  were  lying  down,  and  others  quietly 
feeding.  Our  position  was  on  the  brow  of  a  small 
steep  sand-ridge,  thickly  covered  with  long  grass  at 
the  top,  through  which  we  could  watch  quietly  the 
movements  of  the  band  without  a  chance  of  being 
discovered.  A  good  stiff  breeze  blowing  directly 
from  them  to  us  prevented  the  possibilitv  of  their 
getting  our  wind,  and  there  being  no  danger  of 
anything  alarming  them,  we  lay  for  at  least  five 
minutes  perfectly  still,  to  admire  so  grand  a  sight, 
and  get  quite  cool  and  collected  after  our  long  stalk. 
How  poor  Landseer  or  Rosa  Bonheur  would  have 
enjoyed  such  a  sight !  Of  all  animal  creation,  I 
consider  the  elk  is  beyond  question  the  handsomest. 
The  bulls  were  full  maned,  and  almost  black  about 
the  neck  and  muzzle.  Some  of  the  old  ones  had 
grand  heads,  but  the  greatest  number  were  about 
one  and  two  years  old,  and  with  antlers  not  fully 
grown.  The  cows  were  very  handsome,  and  in 
splendid  condition  ;  and  there  were  many  this  year's 
calves,  as  graceful  and  pretty  as  they  well  could  be. 
Picking  out  our  favourites,  we  now  got  ready.  I 
selected  a  fine  bull,  who  was  certainly  not  over  fifty 
yards  from  where  I  lay,  and  taking  a  deliberate  aim, 
sent  a  bullet  directly  through  his  heart.  Buckshot's 
rifle  missed  fire,  and  the  Colonel  knocked  over  a 
grand  old  bull,  who  was  sent  kicking  to  the  ground. 
We  then  blazed  away  at  the  nearest  elk,  and  knocked 
over  three  others.  In  the  excitement  of  firing  at 
the  retreating  elk,  we  paid  no  attention  to  those 
already  fallen,  and  were  disgusted  and  surprised  to 


328  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

see  the  Colonel's  first  love,  who  was  the  finest  of  the 
lot,  trotting  steadily  away  and  well  out  of  range. 
Cutting  the  throats  of  the  fallen  ones  as  quickly  as 
possible,  we  mounted  and  galloped  after  the  band, 
who,  having  neither  seen  nor  smelt  us,  were  by  no 
means  greatly  alarmed ;  and  after  a  sharp  spin  of 
some  four  miles,  keeping  wrell  to  leeward  and  out 
of  sight,  again  struck  the  band.  This  time  we  got 
within  about  a  hundred  yards  from  where  they  were 
quietly  feeding  at  a  walk,  and  once  more  did  con 
siderable  execution.  It  was  now  getting  late  ;  we 
had  as  much  meat  as  the  waggon  could  carry,  and 
though  we  might  certainly  have  struck  the  band  a 
third  time,  as  they  had  never  either  seen  or  smelt 
us,  we  tempered  mercy  with  prudence  and  rode  back 
to  camp. 

It  is  surprising  what  a  number  of  elk  get  off,  after 
having  been  apparently  mortally  wounded,  and  con 
sidered  even  beyond  the  assistance  of  another  shot. 

Lieutenant  H.  once  shot  a  fine  bull  who  rolled 
over,  like  the  Colonel's  had  done,  seemingly  in 
articulo  mortis.  He  had  on  the  occasion  a  new  knife, 
which  he  was  most  anxious  to  christen,  and  laying 
down  his  discharged  rifle  he  advanced  to  flesh  his 
weapon.  The  elk,  however,  appeared  to  object  to  be 
operated  on,  and  kicked  lustily  whenever  he  ap 
proached  to  put  his  charitable  project  into  execution. 
Now  an  elk's  kick  is  worse  than  one  from  an  unshod 
horse,  and  the  Lieutenant,  being  well  aware  of  his 
danger,  dodged  about  from  side  to  side  in  a  decidedly 
cautious  and  wary  manner,  trying  vainly  to  get  a 
safe  chance.  This  game  lasted  over  two  minutes,  at 


CTi 

I. 

4 


NOT  DEAD    YET.  329 

the  end  of  which  time  the  animal,  disgusted  with  the 
clumsy  efforts  being  made  to  send  him  to  a  better 
world,  concluded  to  remain  a  little  longer  in  this 
one,  and,  quietly  jumping  up,  galloped  off  and  was 


never  seen  again. 


A  still  more  amusing  incident  happened  to  Buck 
shot.  He  also  one  day  knocked  over  a  fine  bull 
who  fell  apparently  quite  dead,  as  he  pitched  right 
over  on  getting  the  shot,  with  one  of  his  fore-legs 
entangled  mid  his  branching  antlers.  Buckshot 
came  up  to  cut  his  throat,  arid  to  save  the  trouble  of 
picketing  his  pony,  tied  the  end  of  the  lariat  to  the 
elk's  hind-leg,  while  he  dragged  the  body  round  to 
a  more  convenient  position  for  performing  the 
obsequies.  The  movement  cleared  the  entangled 
limb,  and  the  elk,  who  was  only  "  creased,"  i.e.  shot 
through  the  thick  part  of  the  neck  and  momentarily 
paralysed,  jumped  up,  and,  with  the  pony  fastened  to 
him,  galloped  off  as  strong  and  well  as  if  he  had 
never  been  even  touched.  The  sight  must  have  been 
as  ludicrous  a  one  as  well  could  be  imagined.  Buck- 
shot  raced  after  the  pair,  shouting,  "  Whoa,  whoa, 
Billy  !"  not  daring  to  fire  lest  he  should  hurt  his 
pony.  How  it  would  have  ended  one  can  hardly 
tell,  had  the  elk,  instead  of  keeping  up  the  gallop, 
not  foolishly  turned  round  to  fight  the  pony,  whom 
he  could  not  stand  any  longer  dragging  at  his  heels, 
while  still  within  easy  range  of  the  scout's  rifle. 
The  movement  was  favourable.  This  time  a  bullet 
sped  more  true,  and  the  poor  elk  really  tumbled  over 
dead. 

On  going  with  the  waggon  next  day  to  bring  our 


330  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

game  to  camp  we  found  a  most  unusual  thing  had 
happened.  A  large  pack  of  wolves  had  been  before 
us  and  eaten  all  up  but  five,  and  some  of  these  were 
also  partially  torn.  None  of  our  party  had  ever 
known  an  instance  of  these  brutes  touching  game 
the  first  night  before,  and  though  there  were  any 
quantity  of  them  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  we 
often  left  game  out  when  killed  far  from  camp  late 
in  the  evening,  I  never  knew  it  occur. 

We  got  some  very  pretty  deer-shooting  occasion 
ally.  Once  I  remember  having  a  long  and  very 
interesting  stalk  after  three  white-tailed  fellows 
with  Buckshot.  It  lasted  over  an  hour  on  not 
particularly  easy  ground ;  however,  we  came  within 
range  at  last  and  killed  them  all. 

By  this  time  we  had  loaded  our  large  four-mule 
waggon  with  elk,  deer,  and  antelope,  until  it  would 
not  hold  another  beast.  We  had  eaten  parts  of 
others,  and  had  varied  the  entertainment  with 
duck,  pin-tailed  grouse,  and  prairie  chickens,  so 
nothing  was  left  us  but  to  return  to  Hartsuff,  lest 
our  meat  from  being  so  long  packed  should  go  bad. 
On  our  way  we  saw  any  quantity  of  geese,  and 
the  river  at  times  appeared  alive  with  wild-fowl. 

On  starting  for  our  hunt,  I  think  I  mentioned  the 
lively  nature  of  the  Colonel's  pet  waggon,  and  on  the 
return  journey  it  gave  us  a  sample  of  what,  under 
unfavourable  circumstances,  it  really  could  do. 

We  had  successfully  forded  the  river,  and  were 
trotting  quietly  down  a  rather  awkward  ravine  with 
a  stream  running  at  the  bottom  of  it,  when  something 
startled  our  team,  and  to  our  horror  away  they 


A   COMPLETE  SPILL.  331 

fctretched  at  a  gallop  down  the  hill ;  a  corner  was 
turned  rather  sharply,  and  in  a  moment  all  save  the 
Colonel  were  sent  flying.  The  driver  and  a  sergeant 
on  the  box-seat  first  shot  into  the  air ;  I  flew  ahout 
three  yards  over  where  they  lay  sprawling,  pitching 
on  my  shoulder;  and  Buckshot,  who  was  on  the 
back  seat,  being  the  lightest  of  the  party,  took  a  spin 
over  all  of  us,  a  shower  of  rifles  and  guns  coming 
with  him.  The  waggon,  which  had  never  fallen 
over,  then  righted  itself,  and  the  mules,  with  the 
reins  hanging  at  their  heels,  took  their  now  greatly 
diminished  load  over  the  little  stream  in  their  stride, 
the  waggon  jumping  like  one  quite  accustomed  to 
such  cross-country  usage.  Up  the  opposite  hill 
they  then  tore  madly,  the  Colonel  sticking  to  his  post 
like  a  man,  and  trying,  though  unsuccessfully,  to 
fish  up  the  reins.  This  pace  was,  however,  too 
good  to  last,  and  on  reaching  the  top  the  solitary 
inmate  jumped  out,  and,  running  across  a  small  place 
where  the  road  made  a  turn,  stopped  the  team 
without  further  damage. 

I  have  seen  a  good  many  fellows  upset,  but  never 
witnessed  such  a  complete  clearance  before  without 
the  trap  coming  to  grief  also.  I  had  been  riding  all 
the  morning ;  my  spurs  were  still  on  when  the  spill 
took  place,  and  to  give  an  idea  of  the  force  with 
which  we  must  have  been  shot  out,  one  of  my  strong 
hunting  spurs  was  torn  off  my  boot  and  left  in  the 
waggon,  yet,  notwithstanding  this  very  considerable 
drag,  I  was  sent  spinning  through  the  air  well  clear  of 
the  wheels.  The  inventor — a  true  Hibernian — was 
delighted  with  the  agility  displayed  by  his  favourite 


332  THE   TWO  AMEEICAS. 

trap,  and  fervently  expressed  his  opinion  that  not 
another  vehicle  in  the  two  Americas  was  capable  of 
such  a  performance.  I  really  believe  he  was  right ; 
but  it  would  be  a  sweet  thing  for  a  "  Seniority 
Corps,"  and  the  service  might  adopt  it  with  ad 
vantage. 

This  little  episode  wound  up  our  hunt,  and  we 
shortly  after  arrived  safely  at  Fort  Hartsuff.  We 
had  enjoyed  a  very  jolly  trip,  had  some  really  fine 
shooting,  and  notwithstanding  the  eccentricity  of 
the  lively  waggon,  and  the  several  attempts  it  made 
to  break  our  necks,  I  cannot  thank  my  friend  the 
Colonel  too  much  for  ail  the  kindness  and  hospitality 
I  received  at  his  hands,  and  the  "  good  time  "  I  had 
at  Hartsuff. 

After  our  hunt  the  weather  got  decidedly  cold. 
Once  or  twice  the  thermometer  went  several  degrees 
below  zero,  and  occasionally  a  keen  icy  wind  struck 
across  the  prairie  which  cut  into  one's  bones  like 
a  knife.  Life  under  canvas,  with  one's  cattle  picketed 
out,  is  not  under  such  circumstances  generally  very 
pleasant,  and  once  more  I  got  ready  for  a  start  east. 


LEAVE  FORT  HARTSUFF.  3D3 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Leave  Fort  Hartstiff — Eapid  growth  of  "Western  towns  —  Omaha  — 
Chicago — Hotel  life  in  America — Canada  —  Toronto  —  Sleighing  — 
Niagara  —  Montreal— Summing-up — A  chivalrous  American — Hos 
pitality  of  the  U.S.A.  Officers— Tale  of  a  snuff-box— The  end. 

Ox  the  28th  of  November,  1875,  we  left  Fort 
Hartsuff.  A  considerable  amount  of  snow  covered 
the  prairie,  and  large  masses  of  ice  floated  down  the 
Loup,  chasing  each  other  over  tl  e  shallow  rapids 
finally  to  be  checked  and  piled  up  in  a  large  heap  at 
the  first  still  and  frozen  pool  of  water  below  them. 

On  this  occasion,  I  am  happy  to  say,  the  lively 
waggon  was  not  brought  into  requisition,  and  com 
fortably  ensconced  in  a  well-hung  and  cosily- covered 
carriage,  we  gazed  over  the  desolate-looking  plain, 
and  watched  the  flocks  of  wild  geese  and  ducks,  who 
appeared  intent  on  migrating  to  wanner  climates. 
Even  the  wolves  seemed  tamed  by  the  cold,  as  at 
times  they  waited  on  the  road  until  almost  within 
pistol-shot,  and  Buckshot  more  than  once  handled 
his  revolver,  and  got  ready  to  fire. 

At  Beebys  we  halted  for  the  night,  getting,  how 
ever,  a  little  more  room  than  on  the  occasion  of  my 
former  visit ;  and  after  another  cold  drive  the  follow 
ing  day,  the  piercing  wind  being  far  more  responsible 


334  TEE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

for  our  discomfort  than  any  particular  lowness  of 
temperature,  the  thermometer  being  only  4°  below 
zero,  we  arrived  in  the  evening  at  Grand  Island, 
where  we  put  up  for  the  night  at  the  railway  station 
hotel. 

The  rapidity  of  growth  peculiar  to  these  Western 
towns  is  very  striking  to  an  Englishman  accustomed 
to  the  slow  progression  of  our  rural  districts.  How 
very  few  villages  or  small  towns  that  we  remember 
in  our  early  youth  that  are  not  still  either  villages 
or  small  towns,  now  that  old  age  has  bent  our 
frames,  and  remorseless  Time  stands  watching  the 
few  remaining  grains  of  sand  still  to  run  before  he 
mows  us  over.  Here  they  never  cease  to  grow. 
Grand  Island  had  increased  considerably  even  during 
my  short  hunt  on  the  Loup.  A  new  hotel  of  very 
considerable  dimensions  was  about  to  bo  opened, 
several  fresh  edifices  had  commenced  making  their 
appearance,  and  the  bustle  and  activity  displayed 
everywhere  showed  that  this  little  town  was  no 
exception  to  the  general  rule  of  rapid  progression  so 
noticeable  all  over  the  West. 

An  uninteresting  railway  journey  brought  us  to 
Omaha,  where  we  arrived  on  Thanksgiving  Day,  and 
of  course  found  everything  shut  up  and  stupid  ;  the 
inhabitants  being  too  busily  engaged  in  either  eating 
or  getting  ready  to  eat  turkeys  to  think  of  opening 
their  shops  or  anything  else.  It  is  a  disagreeable 
time  for  a  traveller  to  arrive  in  a  strange  town,  and 
I  advise  others  to  avoid  doing  so. 

There  is  nothing  of  any  particular  interest  in  or 
about  Omaha.  It  is  at  present  the  headquarters  of 


CHICAGO.  335 


the  army  for  service  on  the  nearest  Indian  frontier, 
or  the  military  department  of  the  Platte,  and  is  built 
on  the  western  bank  of  the  Missouri,  which  was 
almost  frozen  over  when  we  got  there.  During  my 
stay  a  rifle  match  formed  one  of  the  holiday  attrac 
tions.  Major  Henry  Fulton,  the  champion  shot  of 
the  late  American  team,  was  one  of  the  competitors, 
and  put  fifteen  shots  in  succession  into  either  centre 
or  bull's-eye,  at  a  range  of  eight  hundred  yards,  and 
during  a  by  no  means  favourable  day  either.  It  was 
magnificent  shooting,  but  I  should  very  much  like 
to  see  his  practice  at  antelope ,  judging  his  own 
distance.  In  1854  a  few  squatters  settled  on  the 
site  of  the  present  town.  In  1870  the  construction 
of  ttie  Omaha  and  South  Western  Railway  gave  a 
fresh  impetus  to  what  was  even  then  a  fast-increasing 
city,  and  now  a  population  of  over  20,000  inhabit  the 
state  capital  of  Nebraska,  with  every  likelihood  of 
attaining  far  higher  numbers.  Some  of  the  public 
buildings  are  creditable,  still  the  town  is  not  a 
particularly  attractive  one  to  visitors  unconnected 
with  it  by  business,  and  I  was  not  sorry  when  a  run 
of  little  over  twenty-four  hours  farther  east  brought 
us  to  Chicago. 

Of  all  the  extraordinary  towns  in  the  United 
States,  Chicago  may  certainly  be  looked  upon  as 
being  the  most  so.  Twice  almost  entirely  destroyed 
by  fire  within  an  unprecedentedly  short  space  of  time, 
it  has  on  each  occasion  risen  like  a  Phoenix  from  its 
ashes,  invariably  improved  by  the  fiery  ordeal.  If  it 
continues  burning  and  improving  at  the  same  rate, 
there  is  no  telling  to  what  pitch  of  magnificence  it/ 


336  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

may  not  ultimately  arrive.  It  is  built  on  the  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan,  one  of  the  huge  inland  seas  of  fresh 
water  for.  which  this  continent  is  famous,  and  owes 
much  of  its  prosperity  to  its  favourable  situation. 
The  last  great  fire  was  during  the  Fall  of  1871,  when 
the  town  was  almost  entirely  destroyed.  It  is  now 
quite  restored.  The  streets  are  well  paved  and 
broad  (very  different  in  this  respect  from  New 
York,  which  without  any  exception  I  consider  the 
most  disgracefully  paved  town  I  have  ever  visited), 
the  business  houses  are  large  stone  buildings  and 
very  handsome,  and  the  town  is  of  immense 
extent  and  still  growing.  A  charming  drive  in 
course  of  construction  along  the  border  of  the  lake 
and  a  small  park  outside  the  (own  are  worth  looking 
at.  The  municipality  have  every  reason  to  be  proud 
of  the  city  waterworks,  the  entire  supply  being 
obtained  from  Lake  Michigan,  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  out  from  its  banks,  whence  by  means  of  two 
immensely  powerful  engines,  the  largest  I  believe  in 
America,  a  constant  and  liberal  flow  of  deliciously 
pure  water  is  conducted  over  the  town.  We  put  up 
tit  the  Palmer  House  Hotel,  without  any  exception 
the  finest,  best  conducted,  and  most  comfortable  one 
I  ever  saw  in  America.  The  reception-rooms  were 
almost  regal ;  the  bedrooms  were  simply  the  perfec 
tion  of  comfort,  each  having  a  handsome  marble  bath 
in  a  small  chamber  attached  to  them ;  the  cuisine  was 
excellent  and  liberal;  attendance  the  best  I  have  ever 
seen  ;  and  the  charges  not  a  bit  higher  than  the  tariff 
at  any  ordinary  first-class  house. 

Hotel  life  in  America  is  an  institution  peculiar  to 


HOTEL  LIFE  IN  AMERICA.  337 

the  country.  Owing  to  the  difficulty  in  the  first  place 
of  obtaining  good  servants,  and  the  uncertainty  of 
keeping  them  afterwards  for  any  length  of  time,  when 
the  great  fundamental  principles  of  all  republics 
(liberty  and  equality)  firmly  take  root,  many 
families  reside  entirely  in  hotels.  These  people 
therefore  become  a  fixed  income  to  the  proprietors, 
and  all  possible  means  are  adopted  to  attract  them 
to  their  establishments,  and  to  retain  them  after 
wards.  Year  after  year  families  inhabit  the  same 
suite  of  apartments,  only  too  glad  to  escape  the 
expense  and  annoyance  of  housekeeping  in  a  country 
where,  notwithstanding  the  theoretical  advantages 
of  equality,  very  few  care  about  introducing  it  to 
social  life,  or  tolerating  it  among  their  domestics. 

Chicago  is  well  supplied  with  newspapers ;  indeed, 
the  amount  of  this  class  of  literature  all  through  the 
United  States  is  very  remarkable.  The  smallest 
towns  have  a  "  Daily,"  arid  even  Calamus  City,  which 
only  consisted  of  a  few  miserable  log  huts,  sported  a 
printing-press  and  a  weekly  paper.  The  Chicago 
style  is  somewhat  unique,  if  not  absolutely  bewilder 
ing.  For  instance,  in  one  of  the  leading  journals, 
dated  November  27th,  I  noticed  an  article  containing 
an  account  of  a  recent  execution,  which,  headed  in 
large  black  letters,  announced  the  following  startling 
intelligence:  "Jerked  to  Jesus";  "Four  Senegarn- 
bian  butchers  were  wafted  to  heaven  yesterday  from 
scaffolds";  "Four  of  them  died  with  the  sweet 
confidence  of  pious  people,"  &c.  &c.  &c.  Some  of 
the  .other  articles  were  well  written,  and  I  was 
astonished  at  seeing  such  indecent  vulgarity  in  what 

z 


338  TIIE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

was  in  other  respects  a  clever  arid  well-conducted 
newspaper. 

From  Chicago  we  went  to  Toronto  in  Canada,  our 
luggage  undergoing  a  slight  inspection  at  Sarnia,  a 
small  town  on  the  frontier.  I  was  surprised  at  the 
marked  difference  in  the  aspect  of  the  country  and 
appearance  of  the  people,  and  could  hardly  have 
believed  it  possible  that  the  distinction  between  two 
races  of  similar  origin  and  language  should  have 
been  so  decided.  The  farms  were  smaller,  the  fields 
and  inclosures  smaller,  and  the  people  more  in 
tensely  English  in  appearance,  speech,  and  costume. 
The  refreshments  at  the  railway  stations  were 
cheaper,  but  savoured  more  of  the  "  stale  bun  "  and 
"  scalding  soup  "  system  we  are  cursed  with  at  home, 
than  the  liberal  tariff  that  generally  characterises 
American  tables  similarly  situated ;  and  though 
delighted  with  the  unmistakable  evidences  of  English 
nationality  in  other  respects,  we  did  not  find  the 
feeding  a  change  for  the  better,  and  occasionally 
pined  for  the  well-supplied  tables  of  Lathrop  and 
Merced  in  the  "  Far  West." 

Toronto  is  a  handsome  well-built  town,  situated  on 
the  shore  of  Lake  Ontario.  Some  of  the  public 
buildings  are  fine,  and  the  university  is  exceedingly 
beautiful  and  well  worth  a  visit.  We  put  up  at  the 
Queen's  Hotel,  and  though  it  did  not  rival  the 
Palmer  House  in  magnificence,  it  certainly  deserves 
a  word  of  praise  as  being  one  of  the  most  comfort 
able  houses  I  ever  stayed  at,  and  far  superior  to 
anything  at  Montreal  or  other  parts  of  Canada  we 
passed  through. 


TORONTO.  339 


I  find  myself  now  getting  on  such  a  well-worn  and 
beaten  track  that  I  am  disinclined  to  bore  my  reader 
with  an  account  of  places  he  in  all  probability  knows 
more  of  than  I  do,  and  shall  therefore  touch  but  very 
lightly  on  the  few  remaining  towns  we  visit  before  I 
cease  my  wanderings.  King  Street  is  the  fashionable 
promenade.  A  heavy  fall  of  snow  and  an  unusually 
"  cold  snap,"  as  it  was  termed,  had  arranged  every 
thing  for  sleighing,  and  every  vehicle  was  at  once 
called  into  requisition  and  every  waggon  put  on 
sliders.  Nothing  could  be  gayer  than  the  scene  in 
the  principal  streets  during  the  fashionable  hours  of 
from  three  to  five,  when  all  the  well-appointed 
equipages  turned  out  with  handsome  fur  robes 
trailing  far  behind  them,  almost  touching  the  snow. 

Sleighing  is  certainly  a  delightful  amusement,  and 
if  a  man  be  fortunate  in  having  a  crack  team  and  -a 
pleasant  companion  of  the  opposite  sex,  I  am  unaware 
of  any  sort  of  driving  that  can  touch  it.  The  calm, 
cold,  clear  atmosphere,  the  tinkling  of  the  bells,  the 
pure  snow,  the  warm  robes,  and  the  pretty  girl — all 
form  a  combination  which,  added  to  the  smooth 
gliding  action  of  the  sleigh,  renders  the  experience 
one  often  to  be  longed  for  when  snow  and  sleighs 
can  only  be  thought  of  among  the  long-departed  and 
never  to  be  recalled  pleasures  of  the  past. 

The  theatre  was  pretty  good.  I  went  one  night  and 
saw  a  wretched  play  badly  acted,  but  the  interior  of 
the  building  was  well  got  up  and  of  larger  size  than 
those  of  most  provincial  towns  in  England  of  more 
than  double  the  population. 

From  Toronto  I  went  to  Niagara,  and  find  some 

z  2 


340  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

difficulty  in  analysing  my  feelings  in  connection  with 
its  extraordinary  and  wonderful  Falls.  My  first  sense 
was  one  of  disappointment.  From  earliest  childhood 
I  had  heard  and  read  such  gushing  accounts  that 
reality  naturally  fell  short  of  expectation  ;  but  after  a 
time  their  magnificence  seems  to  grow  on  one,  and 
eventually  their  marvellous  grandeur  unrolls  and 
steadily  impresses  itself  most  thoroughly.  What  I 
had  expected  to  see,  I  am  sure  I  don't  know ;  hut 
with  such  food  for  fancy  as  one  gets  in  Niagara,  I 
imagine  the  first  impression  of  many  must  be  that  of 
disappointment  at  the  first  sight. 

The  pleasures  of  Niagara  are,  to  me  at  any  rate, 
dreadfully  marred  by  its  surroundings.  Guides, 
touts,  photographers,  vendors  of  curiosities,  Jewesses, 
and  harpies  of  every  description  abound.  All  kinds 
of  Cockney  ridiculous  names  are  given  to  every 
point,  rock,  or  extra  spray  of  water.  You  are  besieged 
at  every  step  with  solicitations  to  purchase  rubbish. 

A  perpetual  demand  for  fifty  cents  seems  to  be 
the  u  current  "  topic  of  conversation..  If  you  look  over 
a  rock,  it  is  fifty  cents ;  if  you  look  up  one,  it  is  fifty 
cents ;  for  everything  you  do,  it  is  the  same  price ; 
and  I  was  rather  surprised  when  a  stranger  to  me 
said,  "  Good  morning,"  that  he  did  not  charge  fifty 
cents  for  his  civility.  Photographers  chase  you  with 
a  prepared  plate  for  a  Niagara  in  the  background. 
Pertinacious  and  brazen-faced  Jewesses  insist  on  your 
shelling  out  dollars,  and  show  unmitigated  disgust  if 
your  expenditure  falls  short  of  their  expectations ; 
and  when,  to  escape  from  these  nuisances  and  enjoy 
a  solitary  weed,  I  found  what  I  imagined  to  be 


NIAGAEA.  341 


a  secluded  spot  on  Goat  Island,  before  I  had  been 
allowed  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  quiet  enjoyment  of  the 
truly  magnificent  rapids,  I  heard  a  voice  from 
behind  request  me  to  remain  perfectly  still,  arid  that 
he  would  shoot  me  in  twenty  seconds,  and  on  turning- 
round  found  a  ruffian  quietly  4<  covering  me  "  from 
under  a  cloth-covered  camera. 

Of  course  lots  of  people  like  all  this.  They  enjoy 
their  guide's  twaddle.  They  purchase  Indian  curi 
osities  (manufactured  on  the  spot)  with  sweet  con 
fidence  as  to  the  genuine  nature  of  the  commodity. 
They  get  photographed  at  every  possible  oppor 
tunity,  the  picture  being  very  much  of  themselves  and 
very  little  of  Niagara.  If  it  were  not  so,  the  nuisance 
would  cease  to  exist;  but  with  it  all,  they  certainly 
spoil  at  least  three-fourths  of  the  pleasures  an 
ordinary  mortal  can  derive  from  one  of  the  most 
marvellous  sights  in  nature.  One  sees  and  becomes 
impressed,  but  enjoyment  is  out  of  the  question. 
As  well  talk  of  enjoying  Nilsson  or  Patti,  in  their 
favourite  and  most  exquisitely  rendered  passages  of 
Opera,  with  a  monkey  chattering  in  the  stall  behind 
you;  playing  a  salmon  with  an  enthusiastic  crowd 
criticising  your  actions  (I  went  through  that  ex 
perience  once  on  Galway  bridge,  and  did  not  like  it)  ; 
or  enjoying  a  chefs  most  sublime  effort,  ten  minutes 
being  allowed  for  the  trial. 

I  hardly  know  what  to  recommend,  as  escaping  these 
bores  altogether  is  impossible.  I  can  only  suggest  that 
the  best  plan  is  to  see  the  Falls  during  the  day,  and 
enjoy  them  at  sunrise,  before  the  tormentors  are  out  of 
bed.  Such  early  rising  is  a  little  rough  perhaps  on  some 


342  THE  TWO  ANEEICAS. 

people,  but  nevertheless  it  is  one's  only  chance,  and 
it  will  repay  them  amply.  The  mnjesty  of  Niagara 
is  stupendous,  but  cannot  make  itself  properly  felt 
with  a  running  accompaniment  of  photographers 
and  touts. 

From  Niagara  I  went  to  Montreal,  a  curious  old 
town  with  a  large  population  of  French  extraction, 
who  still  retain  the  language.  The  St.  Lawrence 
was  frozen  across,  and  I  came  in  for  an  exhibition  of 
some  of  the  wonderful  skating  Canadians  of  both 
sexes  are*  celebrated  for.  Not  being'  provided  with 
letters,  and  not  knowing  a  soul  in  the  town,  there 
was  not  much  to  be  done  in  the  way  of  amusement. 
I  heard  a  good  many  people  regret  the  loss  of  the 
English  regiments,  and  from  the  enthusiasm  dis 
played  at  the  parade  of  a  volunteer  corps  I  can 
quite  imagine  what  a  "good  time"  the  regiments 
fortunate  enough  to  have  been  quartered  here  in  the 
old  days  must  have  had. 

There  is  a  wild  natural  park  overhanging  the  town ; 
rocks,  trees,  and  their  surroundings  being  quite  in  a 
state  of  primeval  simplicity.  From  some  points  of  it 
a  most  exquisite  view  is  to  be  obtained  of  the  surround 
ing  country.  For  many  miles  the  River  St.  Lawrence 
winds  away  in  the  distance,  a  lofty  range  of  mountains 
in  the  States  being  also  occasionally  visible.  There 
are  not  many  views  better  worth  seeing,  and  on  a 
fine  day  it  is  quite  enchanting.  Some  of  the  public 
buildings  and  a  few  private  residences  are  handsome 
well-built  stone  edifices.  The  streets  were  well  laid 
out,  arid  as  the  weather  was  cold,  bright,  and  clear, 
gaily-painted  sleighs,  with  their  musical  accompani- 


SUMMING   UP.  343 


ment  of  bells  outside  and  "  belles  "  in,  enlivened  the 
scene,  and  gave  an  air  of  festivity  to  all  about  them. 

After  a  few  days  devoted  to  sight-seeing,  an 
account  of  which  I  will  mercifully  spare  my  reader, 
I  started  for  New  York,  and  after  an  uninteresting 
railway  journey,  and  a  rigid  examination  of  luggage 
by  the  custom-house  authorities,  arrived  safely  at  the 
great  commercial  capital  of  the  United  States. 

Here  as  an  author  my  wanderings  end.  Washing 
ton,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Richmond,  Boston,  and 
all  the  great  eastern  cities  are  far  too  well  known  to 
require  description,  and  are  only  interesting  to  the 
European  as  being  the  means  of  giving  him  an 
insight  to  American  society,  their  manners,  their 
customs,  and  the  working  of  their  municipalities  and 
legislature. 

On  these  few  topics  I  shall  lightly  touch  ere  con 
cluding,  and  having  had  ample  opportunities  and 
facilities  for  judging  of  each,  will  be  at  any  rate 
impartial  in  my  "  summing  up  "  of  the  people  among 
whom  I  have  been  living  for  over  a  year,  and  from 
whom  I  have  experienced  great  and  unvarying 
kindness  and  hospitality. 

Unmitigated  flattery  would  be  a  sorry  recompense 
for  such  treatment,  and  I  even  confess,  but  without 
departing  from  my  "  platform "  as  an  impartial 
witness,  that  holding  political  views  diametrically 
opposite  to  anything  republican,  it  has  almost  been 
a  source  of  satisfaction  to  find,  on  inspection,  inquiry, 
and  diligent  investigation,  that  the  institutions  of  the 
country  are  very  far  indeed  from  being  perfect ;  that 
bribery  and  corruption  is  reported  common  in  both 


344  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

Senate  and  Congress;  and  that  the  suppositions 
virtues  which,  according  to  the  reiterated  statements 
of  our  leading  Radicals  in  England,  appertain  to  all 
republics  in  general,  and  the  United  States  in  parti 
cular,  only  really  exist  in  their  own  over-imaginative 
and  highly-wrought  conceptions  of  a  modern  Utopia 
based  on  republican  principle's. 

While  at  Washington  I  witnessed  the  impeach- 
ment  of  a  Cabinet  Minister  (General  Belknap)  for 
selling  Government  appointments.  Another  member 
of  the  same  council  was  roundly  accused  by  some  of 
the  leading  newspapers  of  having  in  various  ways 
benefited  himself  to  a  very  large  amount  at  the 
expense  of  his  country,  and  though  we  are  informed 
by  Scripture  "that  a  little  leaven  leaveneth  the  whole," 
the  undoubted  high  personal  character  of  Mr.  Fish, 
the  Secretary  of  State,  one  of  the  few  men  of  social 
rank  and  fortune  who  have  entered  the  political 
arena,  seemed  utterly  unable  to  leaven  the  immediate 
associates  he  was  brought  directly  into  contact  with. 

That  corruption  to  a  very  lamentable  extent  exists 
in  the  country,  I  have  not  only  the  personal  state 
ments  of  very  many  prominent  and  distinguished 
citizens,  who  deplore  an  evil  they  are  unable  to 
remedy,  but  also  the  accounts  given  almost  daily 
in  the  public  press,  whole  columns  of  which  are  filled 
with  histories  of  the  swindling  operations  of  what 
they  felicitously  term  "  rings,"  on  the  principle,  I 
suppose,  of  there  being  "no  end"  to  them.  There 
are  Indian  rings,  whisky  rings,  municipal  rings  "  a 
la  Boss  Tweed,"  and  every  conceivable  ring  that  can 
be  thought  of,  but  none  with  the  ring  of  true  metal. 


SUMMING   UP.  345 


Universal   suffrage,  unaccompanied  by  either  an  ^ 
educational  or   property  qualification,  is  the  funda 
mental  root   of  all   these   evils;    and   to   universal 
suffrage  all  the  existing  ills,  in  all  existing  republics, 
distinctly  can  be  traced. 

No  one  but  a  mule  in  stupid  obstinate  perversity, 
or  a  mole  in  blindness,  can  fail  to  see  these  glaring 
evils  in  the  Constitution,  or  can  help  noticing  that,  in 
consequence  of  them,  men  of  the  highest  social  and 
hereditary  rank  are  conspicuous  by  their  absence 
from  the  legislative  councils  of  their  country;  and 
yet,  after  a  few  weeks'  sojourn  in  the  States,  our 
Radical  members  of  Parliament  come  back  bursting 
with  false  information,  and  give  vent,  in  lectures  and 
addresses  to  confiding  and  credulous  constituencies, 
to  their  ill-conceived  ideas  of  republican  purity. 

Some  people  are  possibly  misled  by  results,  and 
unintentionally  draw  false  conclusions  from  apparent 
facts.  This  is  a  mistake  a  superficial  observer  is 
very  liable  to  fall  into,  and  merely  looking  at  the 
growing  prosperity  and  wealth  of  the  "Far  West" 
as  an  accomplished  and  bond  fide  realization,  he  is 
apt,  having  republican  proclivities,  to  ascribe  the 
cause  to  an  adoption  of  his  political  views,  of  which 
mistake  a  very  slight  study  of  the  true  reason  would 
soon  disabuse  him. 

The  future  greatness  of  the  American  nation  will    • 
undoubtedly    come   from    the    West;    and,   without 
having    been    West,  an   individual,  no   matter   how 
far-sighted  and  deep-thinking  he  may  imagine  him-    J 
self,  will  fail,  not  only  in  grasping  whence  the  real 
wealth  and  prosperity  of  the  nation  must  eventually 


346  THE  TWO  AMEEICAS. 

be  derived,  but  where  also  already  much  of  the 
primary  causes  of  success  and  contentment  exist  in  a 
degree  not  to  be  met  with  in  Europe. 

A  boundless  extent  of  territory  teeming  with  agri 
cultural  and  mineral  wealth  is  still  entirely  un 
occupied.  Crop  after  crop  can  be  raised  for  many 
years  to  come  of  the  very  finest  grain,  simply  by 
scratching  the  earth  and  dropping  in  seed.  None  of 
the  artificial  resources  known  to  older  and  im 
poverished  lands  are  here  ever  thought  of,  and  super 
phosphates  and  guano,  bone-dust  and  top-dressing, 
are  subjects  entirely  unknown  and  seldom  even  read 
about.  The  mineral  wealth  of  the  Pacific  States  is 
simply  incalculable,  and  will  assuredly  cause  a  revolu 
tion  in  the  value  of  precious  metals  which  will  make 
itself  felt  with  startling  severity  ere  very  many 
years  go  by.  For  years  to  come  the  Western 
emigrant  will  be  entitled  to  claim  his  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land ;  and,  undoubtedly,  none  but 
the  idle,  the  vicious,  or  the  infirm  need  suffer  poverty 
in  America.  There  is  no  country  in  the  world  whose 
prospects  of  future  greatness  are  so  apparent  to  the 
meanest  comprehension,  but  to  ascribe  such  prosperity 
to  the  peculiar  republican  form  of  its  government,  or 
to  the  effect  of  universal  suffrage,  is  as  ridiculous  as  to 
suppose  the  worn  arid  impoverished  land  of  Europe, 
decrepit  from  the  hundreds  of  years  of  close  and 
exhaustive  agriculture  to  be  simply  the  effect  of 
monarchical  institutions  or  hereditary  legislation. 

Had  the  Americans  that  strong  sentiment  of  loyalty 
to  a  reigning  family  which  happily  pervades  most 
European  countries,  it  would  serve  as  a  cement  to 


SUMMING    UP.  347 


bind  them  together  ;  but  lacking  this  adhesive  quality, 
and  being  governed  entirely  by  individual  interests, 
each  unit  in  the  community  feeling  an  inward  con 
sciousness  that  ill  luck  alone  prevents  his  being  Chief 
Magistrate,  a  position  that  he  feels  eminently  fitted 
to  adorn,  the  conflicting  interests  of  east  and  west 
must  eventually  rise  to  the  surface,  and  though 
nothing  seems  likely  to  disturb  the  Union  for  at 
least  another  seventy  years,  my  ghost  will  be  much 
surprised  if  it  ever  witnesses  another  Centennial. 

The  reply  to  my  remarks,  from  a  native,  I  know 
well  enough,  would  be  that  I  misjudged  entirely; 
and  that  their  sentiment  to  the  Union  was  as  strong 
in  every  degree  as  ours  to  a  monarch.  He  would 
refer  with  pride  to  the  late  civil  war,  and  point  to 
the  lives  laid  down,  and  treasure  expended,  in  a 
cause  for  which  he  also  would  possibly  be  willing  to 
die,  forgetting,  or  at  any  rate  losing  sight  of,  the  fact, 
that  lives  and  money  were  being  spent  quite  as 
recklessly  by  the  Confederates  to  abolish  the  Union 
he  so  fondly  loves,  and  that  the  wealth  and  intellect 
of  the  country  were  at  one  time  pretty  equally 
divided  in  the  matter  of  that  sentiment  which  most 
Americans  now  imagine  pervaded  the  entire  nation. 
To  prove  that  my  ideas  are  not  singular  or  even 
original,  I  may  as  well  quote  the  words  of  the 
celebrated  "  Fisher  Ames,"  an  American  of  much 
eminence,  who,  living  as  far  back  as  the  revolutionary 
period,  saw  even  then  the  growing  tendency  of  the 
rapidly  thriving  young  Republic.  While  speaking 
of  the  future  state  of  the  country,  his  prophecy 
ran  as  follows :  "  We  will  eventually  become  too 


348  THE  TV/0  AMEPJCAS. 

expansive  for  Union,  too  sordid  for  patriotism,  and 
too  democratic  for  liberty."  How  far  these  warnings 
have  proved  correct,  or  are  likely  to  prove  so,  the 
reader  can  judge  for  himself;  but  I  certainly  have 
found  nothing  myself  in  the  republican  institutions  of 
the  Two  Americas  to  make  me  wish  to  see  such  a 
form  of  government  introduced  among  us  in  England. 

It  is  a  positive  relief,  after  having  found  so  many 
faults  in  the  constitution,  to  be  able  to  allude  to 
other  American  traits  of  which  one  can  speak 
nothing  but  the  highest  praise. 

In  no  part  of  the  world,  England  or  anywhere 
else,  will  a  traveller  meet  with  more  uniform  kind 
ness  and  hospitality.  With  all  classes  it  is  precisely 
the  same.  During  my  wanderings  I  was  brought 
into  close  contact  with  every  description  of  person  ; 
the  rich,  the  poor,  the  cultivated,  and  the  rough  ; 
but  never  once  in  any  part  of  the  United  States,  in 
the  meanest  ranche  or  most  primitive  mining  camp, 
did  I  ever  experience  the  slightest  discourtesy  or 
lack  of  kindness.  Often  and  often  perfect  strangers 
put  themselves  out  of  their  way  to  do  me  a  good 
turn,  and  nothing  can  ever  obliterate  from  my 
memory  the  remembrance  of  the  unmitigated  good 
nature,  hospitality,  and  friendliness  of  feeling  I  have 
invariably  experienced. 

That  such  a  feeling  should  exist,  many  people 
who  have  merely  read  the  occasional  bitter  out 
pourings  of  the  American  press,  when  the  "Bird 
of  Freedom"  is  on  one  of  his  lofty  flights,  will 
hardly  conceive  possible ;  but,  notwithstanding  their 
occasional  caustic  speeches,  there  is  a  deep  under- 


A   CHIVALROUS  AMERICAN.  349 

current  of  goodwill  towards  all  Englishmen,  which 
only  requires  "  circumstance "  to  bring  out  in  its 
brightest  and  most  genuine  character. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  while  on  this  topic  to 
allude  to  my  first  experience  of  this  good  feeling, 
which  I  assert  that  all  true  Americans  (not  Fenian 
Irish  counterfeits)  entertain  in  their  hearts  for  us  ; 
and  I  use  the  words  "  in  their  hearts  "  advisedly, 
as  occasionally  the  surface  outpourings  of  the  nation 
very  much  belie  their  innermost  sentiments,  and  a 
momentary  bitterness  of  speech  is  only  like  the 
hasty  quarrel  of  really  dear  friends,  who  each  may 
be  ashamed  afterwards  of  a  sharpness  of  temper 
which  betrayed  them  both  into  expressions  which 
neither  seriously  meant. 

In  June  1859  I  was  present  at  an  attack  on  the 
Ta-ku  Forts  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pei-ho  River  in  the 
north  of  China,  an  affair  which  I  regret  to  say 
terminated  in  our  receiving  a  very  severe  repulse. 
In  a  most  disagreeably  short  space  of  time  three 
gun-boats  and  two  despatch  vessels  were  sunk  by  the 
severity  of  the  enemy's  fire.  Admiral  Sir  James 
Hope,  who  commanded,  was  seriously  wounded,  and 
after  about  three  hours'  further  sharp  practice  all  the 
gun-boats  were  so  knocked  about  and  hard  pressed 
in  engaging  the  enemy's  batteries,  that  hardly  any 
were  available  for  towing  the  "  storming  party  "  (who 
were  waiting  in  junks  anchored  off  the  forts  out  of 
range)  into  action. 

At  this  juncture  the  captain  of  an  American  frigate 
—  Commodore  Tattenal — volunteered  his  services. 
During  the  very  severest  part  of  the  action  he  pulled 


350  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

in  his  galley  to  visit  Admiral  Hope,  who  had  hoisted 
his  flag  on  one  of  the  gun-boats,  to  express  sympathy 
and  volunteer  assistance ;  and  not  to  he  behindhand 
in  good  feeling,  his  boat's  crew,  during  their  chief's 
visit  to  the  cabin  (where  the  Admiral  lay  wounded), 
improved  the  occasion  by  "  falling  in  "  at  one  of  the 
guns  and  fighting  it  until  he  returned  on  deck. 
Commodore  Tattenal  then  permitted  a  small  steamer 
under  his  command  to  assist  in  towing  the  boats  con 
taining  the  storming  party  into  action,  an  affair 
which  I  came  out  of  with  a  bullet  through  my  leg, 
my  clothes  cut  to  ribbons  by  others,  and  considering 
myself  exceedingly  lucky  in  getting  off  so  cheaply, 
as  nineteen  men  out  of  my  small  company  of  fifty-three 
were  either  killed  or  wounded.  In  proportion  to  the 
numbers  engaged,  our  "  butcher's  bill "  was  one  of 
the  severest  on  record,  and  on  leaving  our  Admiral's 
ship  the  American  Commodore  had  his  cox  wain, 
who  was  sitting  beside  him,  cut  in  two  by  a  round 
shot. 

I  make  particular  mention  of  the  severity  of  the 
fire,  as  I  wish  to  show  that  Commodore  Tattenal's 
courtesy  was  no  mere  holiday  form, but  the  deep-seated, 
true,  chivalrous  feeling  which  men  of  the  same  blood 
should  always  entertain.  He  had  no  earthly  necessity 
to  do  what  he  did.  His  nation  was  at  peace  with 
China.  He  risked  his  commission  and  whole  prospects 
in  the  service  by  his  undiplomatic  behaviour,  and  all 
— to  use  his  own  memorable  words — because  "  blood 
was  thicker  than  water."  So  may  it  ever  prove,  and 
may  the  English-speaking  races  always  entertain, 
irrespective  of  differences  in  government,  the  same 


SUMMING   UP.  351 


undercurrent  of  good  feeling  so  nobly  exhibited  by 
Tattenal  and  his  men  at  the  Taku  Forts. 

The  more  one  sees  of  America,  both  of  people  and 
country,  the  better  one  likes  both ;  arid  I  trust  that 
the  present  Centennial  Exhibition  now  going  on  at 
Philadelphia  may  be  the  means  of  inducing  many 
Englishmen  to  travel  through  the  States,  and  return 
with  that  feeling  of  friendship  and  goodwill  for  their 
American  cousins  which  propinquity  with  them  is 
certain  to  engender. 

Should  any  visit  America  after  reading  these 
lines,  let  me  advise  them  to  pay  particular  attention  to 
three  subjects — i.e.  Canvas-back  ducks,  Terrapin,  and 
Madeira.  This  to  the  uninitiated  is  a  hint  worth 
remembering. 

In  the  streets  of  New  York  I  have  seen  more 
pretty  girls,  in  a  shorter  space  of  time,  than  in  any 
other  town  I  have  been  in.  Nearly  all  have  beautiful 
hands  and  feet,  and  dress  both  expensively  and  well, 
though  there  is  rather  too  much  of  a  display  of 
diamond  earrings  and  jewelry  in  the  daytime  to 
constitute  what  we  should  consider  exactly  consistent 
with  "good  form"  in  England.  It  must  surprise  a 
stranger,  the  first  fine  Sunday  he  walks  down  the 
Fifth  Avenue,  to  see  not  only  so  many  pretty  women, 
but  the  extraordinary  number  of  undoubtedly  ex 
pensive  costumes  all  of  them  appear  in.  This  ex 
travagance  of  apparel  is  by  no  means  confined  to  a 
particular  "  set,"  and  where  on  earth  so  many  people 
find  the  money  to  dress  in  the  way  they  do  is  to  me 
a  perfect  wonder.  I  don't  think  the  men  are  so 
extravagant  as  we  are,  and  as  the  greater  portion  of 


352  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

them  occupy  all  their  time  in  making  money,  they 
seem  to  derive  their  chief  pleasure  and  satisfaction 
from  seeing  their  wives  and  daughters  spending  it, 
having  neither  time  nor  inclination  for  such  frivolities 
themselves.  A  few  among  them  buy  pictures,  but  as 
they  have  neither  expensive  country-houses  with 
estates  to  keep  up,  grouse  moors  and  deer  forest^  to 
pay  for,  nor  even  amuse  themselves  by  maintaining 
large  studs  of  horses  to  chase  the  "  wily  fox,"  their 
personal  expenditure  is  necessarily  comparatively 
small,  while  their  generosity  to  their  wives  naturally 
becomes  proportionately  greater  than  that  of  poor 
beggars  living  under  "  effete  monarchies,"  who  have 
to  pay  like  fun  for  amusements  that  can  be  had  for 
nothing  in  America.  No  wonder  American  ladies 
proudly  and  emphatically  declare  that  their  men  are 
the  best  husbands  in  the  world. 

The  jeunesse  doree  of  New  York  endeavour  to 
assume  English  manners,  and  do  so  with  only 
indifferent  success.  This  is,  however,  a  defect  in 
their  education  that  time  will  gradually  correct ;  and  I 
daresay,  with  constant  study,  in  a  few  more  genera 
tions,  they  may  become  nearly  as  affected  as  the 
class  at  home  they  so  vainly  attempt  to  imitate. 

American  society  is  sociable,  charming,  and 
delightful ;  and  experience  soon  tells  one  that  the 
shoddy  representatives  so  frequently  met  while  travel 
ling  in  Europe  are  but  very  poor  specimens  of  the  nicest 
people  in  New  York,  Washington,  or  the  "  Hub." 

I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  power  of  money  is 
not  occasionally  felt.  A  yacht  and  four-in-hand  are 
as  powerful  passports  to  society  in  New  York  as  the 


U.S.A.   OFFICERS.  853 


same  appendages  most  unquestionably  are  in  London, 
and  a  wealthy  snob  is  as  attractive  to  fortune- 
hunting  mothers  in  one  town  as  in  the  other. 
Shoddy,  however,  to  be  tolerated,  must  be  polished, 
and  the  specimens  one  occasionally  meets  with  in 
New  York  are  less  objectionable  than  members  of 
the  same  fraternity  abroad. 

In  the  Western  States  money  reigns  supreme,  nor 
is  society  particular  as  to  how  it  was  corne  by,  so 
Jong  as  the  possessor  has  a  decent  cook  and  is  liberal 
in  dinners.  Two  of  the  elite  of  San  Franckco  kept  a 
fifth-rate  drinking  saloon  before  a  lucky  mining  specu 
lation  raised  them  in  the  scale  of  social  importance, 
and  their  partners,  who  are  equally  distinguished  for 
enormous  wealth,  commenced  life  in  an  even  less 
ostentatious  manner.  The  Boston  people  consider  in 
tellectual  qualifications  a  necessity,  and  the  Washing- 
tonians  some  kind  of  rank,  either  political  or  diplo 
matic  ;  but  any  English  gentleman  is  certain  to  get 
on  well  with  all  of  them,  and  will  like  the  people. 

Of  all  the  good  fellows  in  the  world  I  really  believe 
the  U.S.A.  officers  are  about  the  best.  It  is  simply 
impossible  to  do  them  justice  in  describing  their  kind 
ness  and  hospitality  to  any  one  bringing  letters  of 
introduction  who  may  visit  their  posts.  No  trouble 
is  too  great  if  they  can  only  give  you  a  "good  time," 
and  no  inconvenience  you  can  possibly  put  them  to  is 
considered  of  the  slightest  moment  if  they  can  add 
to  your  comfort  or  enjoyment.  They  are  all  highly 
educated,  the  course  at  West  Point  being  one  of  the 
most  thorough  a  rnan  can  receive,  and  among  the 
many  pleasant  recollections  I  carry  with  me,  there 

2  A 


354  THE  TWO  ATJERICAS. 

* 

will  be  none  more  highly  valued  than  the  remem- 
hrancc  of  days  and  nights,  in  camp  and  prairie, 
passed  in  their  society. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  winter,  in  New  York, 
I  constantly  met  General  George  A.  Ouster  of  the 
United  States  Army.  He  was  a  fine,  dashing,  gallant 
officer,  with  a  splendid  record,  earned  in  many  a  well- 
contested  field  during  the  war  against  the  South. 
A  mutual  love  of  all  field  sports  brought  us  a  good 
deal  together  whenever  we  met  casually  in  society, 
and  eventually  led  to  his  asking  me  to  serve  on  his 
staff  as  a  volunteer  aide-de-camp  during  the  coming 
spring,  when  he  had  been  promised  the  command  of 
an  expedition  being  fitted  out  for  a  march  into  the 
Yellowstone  country,  promising,  in  the  event  of  my 
accepting  his  offer,  that  he  would  guarantee  I  should 
kill  bear,  elk,  mountain  sheep,  and  buffalo. 

Knowing  the  General  to  be  as  charming  a  com 
panion  as  he  was  a  thorough  sportsman,  it  did  not 
take  long  to  make  up  my  mind  to  join  him  ;  and  for 
the  rest  of  the  season  we  had  long  conversations, 
whenever  we  met,  as  to  the  "good  time"  we  should 
have  together  when  we  had  once  started  on  our 
"hunt. 

The  spring  approached  and  everything  was  in 
readiness  for  the  field.  We  expected  an  occasional 
brush  with  the  Sioux  Indians,  into  whose  country  we 
were  about  to  penetrate,  but  as  to  anything  really 
serious  in  the  way  of  fighting,  it  never  for  an  instant 
entered  either  of  our  heads. 

I  got  my  hunting-gear  together,  and  Ouster,  pass 
ing  through  New  York  on  his  way  to  Washington, 


GENERAL  OUSTER.  355 

breakfasted  with  Lord  M.  and  myself  the  morning 
before  lie  went  there,  and  arranged  that  I  should  have 
everything  packed  and  ready  to  start  within  an  hour 
after  receiving  his  telegram  ;  his  command  at  Fort 
Abraham  Lincoln  only  waiting  his  return  to  take 
the  field.  I  little  thought  tne  day  I  heard  General 
Belknap,  the  Secretary  of  State  for  War,  impeached 
before  Congress  for  selling  Post  Trade rships,  that 
that  very  impeachment  should  have  been  the  indirect 
means  of  saving  my  life. 

General  Ouster  proceeded  to  Washington  and  gav 
his  evidence,  which  unfortunately  for  himself  was  so 
indirectly  damnatory  to  the  President's  brother,  as 
well  as  to  the  Minister  of  War,  that  General  Grant, 
taking  advantage  of  his  position  as  Commander-in- 
Chief  (through  being  President),  vindictively  super 
seded  him  in  the  command,  after  having  in  a  most 
insulting  manner  kept  him  waiting  a  whole  day 
in  a  chamber  at  the  White  House,  when  seeking  an 
audience.  Poor  Ouster  wrote  me  wrord  he  was  not 
to  go  ;  but  the  press  took  the  matter  up  so  warmly, 
and  public  opinion  ran  so  high  on  the  subject  of  the 
injustice  of  his  treatment,  that  eventually  the  Presi 
dent,  as  a  kind  of  compromise,  permitted  him  to  join 
the  expedition  he  wras  to  have  commanded,  though 
only  in  a  subordinate  capacity. 

His  last  letter  to  me  from  Fort  Lincoln  said  he 
was  about  to  take  the  field  in  command  of  his  regiment, 
under  General  Terry,  who  had  superseded  him  ;  that 
of  course  he  could  not  put  me  on  his  staff,  not  being 
in  his  altered  position  entitled  to  one  ;  and  that  as 
he  had  only  received  twenty-four  hours'  notice  of  his 

2  A  2 


356  THE  TWO  AMERICAS. 

being  permitted  to  go  at  all,  was  unable  to  ask  me 
to  join  him  ;  and  that  also  it  was  dangerous,  from  the 
quantity  of  hostile  Indians  being  on  the  war-path,  to 
travel  through  the  country  without  an  escort,  which, 
as  all  the  available  men  were  away  on  duty,  of  course 
I  could  not  get. 

The  rest  is  a  matter  of  history.  General  Custer, 
while  on  a  scout  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Little  Big 
Horn  River,  with  a  force  chiefly  composed  of  men 
belonging  to  his  own  regiment,  and  numbering  some 
three  hundred  sabres,  struck  the  Sioux  Indians  under 
their  celebrated  chief,  "  Sitting  Bull."  What  exactly 
transpired  will  never  be  known  with  any  degree  of 
accuracy,  as  not  one  single  soul  out  of  the  entire 
party  lived  to  tell  the  tale. 

General  Custer,  his  brother  and  nephew,  with 
fourteen  officers  were  among  the  slain,  and  had  I 
received  his  last  letter  a  few  days  sooner,  or  had  a 
Cabinet  Minister  not  been  impeached,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  but  that  I  should  have  shared  their  fate, 
and  that  probably  at  the  present  moment  my  scalp 
would  be  adorning  an  Indian  lodge-pole.  I  was 
greatly  disappointed  when  I  first  heard  I  was  not  to 
go.  My  traps  were  packed,  and  all  was  ready,  but 
it  only  shows  the  truth  of  the  old  proverb,  "  A  man 
never  knows  when  he  is  well  off,"  and  I  can  truly 
say  I  have  much  to  be  thankful  for,  but  I  little  thought 
while  writing  my  impressions  of  the  Sioux  or  Dakotas 
in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  that  my  prognostications 
concerning  them  should  to  a  certain  extent  be  ful 
filled  actually  before  the  words  I  had  written  could 
be  put  in  print. 


TALE  OF  A  SNUFF-BOX.  357 

A  singular  incident  happened  shortly  after  my 
arrival  in  JSTe\v  York,  which  speaks  so  highly  for  the 
people  connected  with  it,  and  really  is  in  every  way 
so  remarkable  and  almost  romantic,  that  I  cannot 
help  relating  the  storv. 

Having  taken  up  my  quarters  at  the  Everitt  House, 
my  name,  among  many  others,  was  announced  in  the 
list  of  arrivals.  A  few  days  afterwards  I  received  a 
litter  from  a  firm  of  lawyers,  stating  that  they  had 
received  instructions  from  one  of  their  clients,  who  had 
seen  my  arrival  in  the  papers,  to  find  out  if  I  was  any 
relation  to  a  baronet  of  my  name,  who  many  years 
ago  had  been  travelling  through  the  country,  and 
who  had  left  some  property  in  the  possession  of  their 
family  for  more  than  fifty  years,  which  they  were 
extremely  anxious  to  return.  On  replying  in  the 
affirmative,  an  interview  was  appointed,  and,  very 
much  to  my  satisfaction  and  surprise,  an  exceedingly 
handsome  and  valuable  gold  snuff-box,  with  my  coat 
of  arms  engraved  on  the  lid,  and  an  enamelled 
mortuary  tablet  in  the  interior,  containing  a  list  of 
names,  dates,  and  deaths  of  various  members  of  my 
family  for  many  generations,  was  handed  over  to  me. 
As  I  was  perfectly  unaware  of  the  existence  of  the 
box,  and  had  never  even  heard  a  soul  speak  of  such 
a  thing,  obtaining  possession  thus  unexpectedly  of  so 
valuable  a  family  relic  was  extremely  gratifying,  and 
in  the  warmest  manner  I  expressed  to  the  lawyers 
my  gratitude  to  the  lady  for  the  great  obligation  she 
had  placed  me  under.  The  gentleman  who  conducted 
the  matter,  smiling  blandly  at  my  warmth,  said,  "  My 
dear  Sir  Ivose,  it  is  almost  impossible  for  you  to  be 


358  THE   TWO  AMERICAS. 

more  delighted  at  obtaining  so  interesting  a  family 
relic,  than  my  client  is  in  getting  rid  of  it.  Mrs. 
P.  is  a  very  old  lady,  and  was  left  it  many  years  ago 
by  her  husband,  who  begged  her  if  possible  to  return 
it  to  your  family.  This  on  various  occasions  she 
attempted  to  do,  writing  frequently  to  England,  and 
once  to  yourself,  her  letters  never  apparently  reach 
ing  their  destination.  On  seeing  your  name,  quite 
accidentally,  she  immediately  communicated  with  me, 
and  her  delight,  in  at  last  being  able  to  fulfil  her 
dead  husband's  wishes,  and  return  your  snuff-box, 
quite  equals  yours  in  receiving  it.7' 

Having  spent  an  entire  season  in  New  York 
society,  as  well  as  six  weeks  at  Washington  during 
the  very  gayest  part  of  the  year,  I  feel  tempted  to 
give  my  impressions  ;  but  remembering  the  manner 
in  which  I  was  received,  and  the  very  great  hospitality 
I  enjoyed,  I  will  not  venture  on  so  delicate  a  subject, 
notwithstanding  my  advantages,  lest  unwittingly  I 
should  wound  some  one. 

I  know  well  enough  by  not  doing  so  I  shall 
disappoint  many  of  my  American  friends  who 
occasionally  like  their  literature  "  highly  seasoned." 
This  cannot  be  helped.  It  will  be  sufficient  merely 
to  say,  that  I  thank  them  much  for  their  very  great 
kindness,  having  really  had  in  the  very  fullest  ac 
ceptation  of  the  term,  u  Such  a  good  time." 

My  yarn  is  now  spun.  I  have  endeavoured  to 
curtail  it  as  much  as  possible,  and  avoid  prosiness. 
It  being  only  a  gossipping  narrative  of  what  came 
under  my  own  immediate  observation,  the  first 
personal  pronoun  unavoidably  comes  somewhat  pro- 


THE  END.  359 


mineutly  into  play ;  however,  that  is  an  infliction 
that  all  readers  of  travels  become  accustomed  to, 
and  if  I  have  bored  them  very  much,  I  can  only 
apologize,  express  sorrow,  and  regret  for  their  sakes 
that  a  more  experienced  writer  had  not  undertaken 
a  description  of  an  uncommonly  pleasant  rambling 
journey  through  "  The  Two  Americas."  Vale. 


(     300     ) 


APPENDIX  A. 

THE  < BOXER.'     (See  page  9-1.) 

HAVING  ?een  by  the  Times  of  a  recent  date,  under  the  lirad 
ot  "  Naval  and  Military  Intelligence,"  the  official  trial  of  the 
Boxer,  I  find  it  necessary  to  call  attention  to  the  subject. 

It  states — "  A  trial  of  the  engines  of  the  Boxer,  composite 
screw  gun-vessel,  at  the  measured  mile  off  the  Maplin  Sands, 
has  been  very  satisfactory,  an  average  speed  of  about  nine 
and  a  quaiter  knots  per  hour  having  been  attained — a 
higher  rate  than  had  been  expected.  The  vessel  has  re 
turned  to  Chatham  Dockyard,  and  has  b:>en  moored  in  the 
Medway.  Her  fitments  are  almost  completed,  and  she  will 
soon  be  ready  to  be  commissioned." 

This  is  evidently  the  old  gun-boat  rejuvenated.  Now  a 
ship  on  trial  doing  its  measured  mile  is  a  very  different 
thing  from  the  ordinary  steaming  of  the  same  vessel,  and 
should  by  no  means  be  accepted  by  the  uninitiated  public  as 
a  sample  of  the  ship's  ordinary  performances. 

During  a  trial  of  this  sort,  the  boilers  are  kept  at  full 
pressure  by  picked  stokers  who  do  not  usually  belong  to  the 
ship's  company;  the  coal  is  the  best  the  dockyard  can  supply, 
and  naturally  very  far  superior  to  coal  unselected  and  picked 
up  anyhow  at  out-of-the-way  coaling-stations  in  foreign  parts ; 
and  the  whole  trial  is  superintended  by  a  class  of  men 
attached  to  the  dockyards  who  are  employed  especially  for 
these  purposes. 

I  was  (ii  board  the  Eocltet  during  her  trial  trip  at  Sheerness, 
during  which  trial  nothing  could  have  been  more  satisfactory, 
and  yet  she  proved  afterwards  to  be  a  veritable  dummy. 

It  is  impossible  to  attach  too  great  importance  to  the 
necessity  of  having  efficient  and  serviceable  gun-boats,  and 
one  caimot  overrate  their  immense  utility  in  time  of  war. 


APPENDIX  A.  3G1 


That  there  arc  considerable  difficulties  in  the  construction 
of  what  I  must  term  "efficient  gun-b<>ats,"  I  will  lea'liiy 
allow ;  but  while  millions  have  been  squandered  in  expensive 
failures  like  the  Captain,  and  many  others  it  is  needless  to 
enumerate,  comparatively  nothing  has  been  attempted  in 
perfecting  a  class  of  vessel  that  has  invariably  proved  itself 
of  vast  consequence  on  many  important  occasions,  and  whose 
very  economy  in  construction  shoul  I  alone  render  it  at 
any  rate  an  object  of  consideration  for  those  who  have  the 
designing  of  our  Navy. 

bpeed  under  steam  ;  strength  to  carry  two  guns  (one  of 
heavy  calibre)  and  fight  them  continuously  if  needed,  as  in 
case  of  bombardment,  without  racking  herself  to  pieces; 
capacity  for  turning  rapidly  in  a  confined  space;  sufficient 
sailing  property  to  enable  her  to  take  long  voyages  by  these 
means  alone,  within  a  reasonable  space  of  time,  and  thus  save 
fuel  for  important  occasions — all  these  combined  in  a  vessel 
with  not  over  eight  feet  draught  of  water  are  the  chief 
qualifications  for  success,  but  which  up  to  the  present  time 
have  certainly  never  been  arrived  at. 

There  are  many  difficulties  in  arriving  at  these  combinations, 
though  I  feel  certain  they  can  be  overcome.  Being  com 
pelled  to  have  so  small  a  draught  of  water  as  eight  feet 
necessit  ites  a  gun-boat's  bottom  to  be  almost  flat,  and  conse 
quently  having  no  hold  in  the  water,  while  sailing  as  "  close 
hauled"  as  she  sometimes  is  obliged  to  bc>,  her  amount  of 
lee  way  is  incredible.  This  being  allowed,  why  should  not 
a  lee-board  ba  adopted  ?  It  will  certainly  make  a  man-of- 
war  look  like  a  Thames  barge,  but  1  take  it  appearance  is  of 
small  importance  where  utility  can  be  arrived  at;  and  many 
a  time  during  our  tedious  passage  from  Mazatlan  to  ^'an 
DiVgo,  I  felt  certain,  from  observation,  that  had  the  Rocket 
been  so  provided,  our  days  of  discomfort  would  have  been 
considerably  shortened. 

I  quite  expect  to  have  my  idea  either  ridiculed  or  pooh- 
poohed,  still  it  is  worth  a  trial ;  and  as  fitting  up  a  lee-board 
would  cost  comparatively  nothing,  it  certainly  ought  to  be 
attempted,  unless  some  other  better  plan  can  be  suggested 


3G2  APPENDIX  B. 


for  enabling  a  round-bottomed  shallow-draughted  vessel  of 
considerable  length  and  no  hold  whatever  on  the  water  to 
beat  to  windward  in  a  rough isli  sea.  One  thing  is  at  any  rate 
quite  evident.  Our  present  class  of  gun-vessels  are  defective, 
and  it  is  some  one's  duty  to  see  that  a  more  useful  and  better 
sort  ba  forthcoming,  and  that  shortly,  as  the  time  when  they 
will  be  needed  cannot  be  far  off. 

I  see  by  a  recent  paper  the  following  intelligence.  "  Loss 
of  a  gun-vessel. — H.M.S.  Lapwing  has  been  reported  lost  in 
a  great  gale  near  Oliefoo.  The  Lapwing  was  a  double-screw 
gun-boat,  with  three  guns  «n(l  was  of  774  tons  and  882 
(nominal  1GO)  horse-power."  I  am  only  surprised  we  do  not 
see  this  sort  of  thing  oitener,  and  it  is  only  owing  to  the 
very  great  care  and  caution  of  the  officers  that  it  does  not 
occur. 


APPENDIX  B. 

(See  page  2G3.) 

THE  trowel-bayonet.  While  in  the  vein  for  malting  sug 
gestions,  I  wish  again  to  draw  attention  to  the  trowel-bayonet, 
a  description  of  which  is  given  at  page  263.  In  these  days 
of  military  progress,  when  arms  of  precision  are  so  equally 
distributed  among  European  nations,  a  very  little  weight  on 
either  side  of  the  scale  may  turn  the  balance,  and  most 
unquestionably  whichever  side  holds  the  smallest  advantage 
has  immense  odds  in  its  favour. 

Mo^t  people  who  pay  any  kind  of  attention  to  military 
matters  will,  I  fancy,  allow  that  the  d;iys  when  battles  were 
won  by  charges  of  the  bayonet  are  practically  ended;  and 
a  Government  like  that  of  the  United  States,  who  have 
1  ilcly  had  all  the  experience  of  a  long  and  severe  war  in 
their  own  country,  ought  to  bo  considered  no  mean  judges 
of  a  weapon  which,  without  hesitation,  they  have  adopted 
for  their  army. 

The  system  of  tactics  most  likely  to  find  favour  (at  any 


APPENDIX  C.  363 


rate  for  the  commencement  of  all  great  battles)  will  cause 
the  frequent  use  of  long  lines  of  skirmishers  on  each  side, 
and  where  the  ground  is  open  a  decided  advantage  must 
necessarily  accrue  to  the  men  who,  armed  with  the  trowel- 
bayonet,  have  the  ready  means  always  at  hand  of  throwing 
up  or  otherwise  improving  any  natural  cover  they  may  take 
shelter  in. 

With  an  army  so  numerically  weak  as  ours,  it  behoves  the 
authorities  to  render  the  small  force  they  have  the  control  of 
as  efficient  as  possible ;  and  though  the  adoption  into  the 
service  of  this  novel  weapon  would  possibly  meet  with 
opposition  from  the  pipe-clay  school  of  soldiers  who  study 
appearances  more  than  utility,  I  cannot  help  believing  that 
the  practical  man  would  immediately  see  its  advantages 
over  the  present  comparatively  useless  bayonet,  and  gladly 
approve  of  the  change.  Shelter-trench  drill,  as  taught  when 
I  had  the  honour  of  serving,  was  a  harmless  amusement, 
utterly  inapplicable  to  active  service  or  the  requirements 
of  advancing  or  retiring  lines  of  skirmishers ;  it,  however, 
pleased  the  authorities  of  the  day,  and  the  details  for  its 
performance  may  even  nosv  bo  given  in  our  drill-boolis. 


APPENDIX  0. 

(Sec  page  293.) 

MY  chapter  about  Indians  was  written  shortly  after  a 
hunting  expedition  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  we  had 
been  over  ground  frequently  visited  by  Sioux,  and  during 
which  hunt  three  white  men  had  been  murdered  by  them 
within  a  very  short  distance  of  our  beat.  Colonel  Brack-  tt, 
commanding  Fort  Sanders,  kindly  gave  me  his  copious  notes 
on  the  various  tribes  he  had  lived  among,  and  his  evident 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  particularly  as  relating  to  the 
Sioux  or  Dakotas,  has  been  amply  exemplified  by  recent 
events  connected  with  their  rising. 

My    prophecy,   written  after  the   Great   Council  at  the 


304  APPEXDIX  C. 


Black  Hills,  lias  already  been  literally  fulfilled  (page  £05), 
as  to  the  eagerness  of  the  yonnj?  "  Brave  "  to  get  scalps, 
though  I  hardly  thought  it  possible  that  those  of  a  general 
oaicer  and  three  hundred  soldiers  would  have  formed  the 
contribution  of  a  single  day. 

A  general  press  despatch  from  the  mouth  of  the  B'g  Horn 
on  the  1st  July,  187G,  gives  the  following  particulars  of 
General  Ouster's  disastrous  expedition  against  the  Sioux 
Indians. 

At  noon  on  the  23d  June,  187G,  General  Ouster,  at  the  head  of  his  fine 
regiment  of  the  twelve  veteran  companies,  left  camp  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Bo:ebud  to  follow  the  trail  of  a  very  large  hand  of  hostile  Sioux 
leading  up  to  the  river  and  westward  in  the  direction  of  the  Big  Horn. 
The  signs  indicated  that  the  Indians  were  making  for  the  eastern 
branch  of  the  last-named  river,  marked  on  the  map  as  the  Little  Big 
Horn.  At  the  same  time  General  Tdry,  with  Colonel  Gibbons  in 
command  of  five  companies  of  infantry,  four  of  cavalry,  and  the  Gatlin 
Battery,  started  to  ascend  the  Big  Horn,  aiming  to  assail  the  enemy  in 
the  rear.  The  march  of  the  two  columns  was  so  planned  as  to  bring 
Colonel  Gibbons's  forces  within  co-operating  distance  of  the  anticipated 
scene  of  action  by  the  evening  of  the  2oth.  In  this  way  only  could 
the  infantry  be  made  available,  as  it  would  not  do  to  encumber  General 
Glister's  march  with  foot-soldiers.  On  the  evening  of  the  24th  Colonel 
Gibbons's  command  was  landed  on  the  south  hank  of  the  Yellowstone, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Horn,  and  on  the  25th  was  pushed  twt-nty- 
three  miles  over  a  country  so  rugged  that  the  endurance  of  the 
men  was  tested  to  the  uttermost.  The  infantry  then  haUeJ.  for 
the  night;  but  the  department  commander,  with  the  cavalry,  advanced 
twelve  miles  farther  to  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Big  Horn,  marching 
till  midnight,  in  the  hope  of  opening  communication  with  General 
Caster.  The  morning  of  the  2Gth  brought  the  intelligence,  com 
municated  by  three  badly-frightened  Crow  scouts,  of  the  battle  of  the 
previous  day,  and  its  results.  The  story  was  not  credited,  bc3auFe  it 
was  not  expected  that  an  attack  would  be  made  earlier  than  the  27th, 
and  chiefly  because  no  one  could  believe  that  a  force  such  as  General 
Cutter  commanded  could  have  met  with  disaster.  Still  the  report 
was  in  no  way  disregarded.  All  day  long  the  toilsome  march  was 
plied,  and  every  eye  bent  upon  a  cloud  of  smoke  resting  over  the 
sout'iern  horizon,  which  was  hailed  as  a  sign  that  General  Cnster  was 
successful  and  had  fired  the  village.  It  was  only  when  night  was 
falling  that  the  weary  troops  lay  down  upon  their  arms.  The  infantry 
had  marched  twenty-nine  miles.  The  march  of  the  next  morning 
revealed  at  every  step  some  evidence  of  the  conflict  which  had  taken 


APPENDIX  0.  3G5 


placo  two  days  before.  At  an  early  hour  the  head  of  the  column 
entered  a  plain,  half  a  mile  wide,  bordering  the  left  bank  of  the  Little 
Big  Horn,  where  had  recently  been  an  immense  Indian  village  extending 
three  miles  along  the  stream,  and  there  were  still  standing  funeral 
lodges  with  horses  slaughtered  around  them,  and  containing  the 
bodies  of  nine  chiefs.  The  ground  was  strewn  everywhere  with  bodies 
of  horses,  cavalry  equipments  and  buffalo  robes,  packages  of  dried 
meat,  and  weapons  and  utensils  belonging  to  Indians.  On  this  part 
of  the  field  was  found  the  clothing  of  Lieutenants  Stnrges  and  Porters 
pierced  with  bullets,  and  a  blood-stained  gauntlet  belonging  to  Colonel 
Yates.  Farther  on  were  found  bodies  of  men,  among  whom  were 
recognised  Lieutenant  M' In  tosh,  the  interpreter  from  Fort  Eice,  and 
Reynolds,  the  guide.  Just  then  a  breathless  scout  arrive:!  with  the 
intelligence  that  Colonel  Eeno,  with  a  remnant  of  the  7th  Cavalry,  was 
entrenched  on  a  bluff  near  by,  waiting  for  relief.  The  commander 
pushed  rapidly  on,  and  soon  came  in  sight  of  a  group  surrounding  a 
cavalry  guard  on  a  lofty  eminence  on  the  right  bank  of  a  river. 
General  Terry  forded  the  stream,  accompanied  by  a  small  party,  and 
rode  to  the  spot.  All  the  way  the  slopes  were  dotted  with  the  bodies 
of  men  and  horses.  The  General  approached,  and  the  men  swarmed 
out  of  the  works  and  greeted  him  with  hearty  and  repeated  cheers. 
Within  was  found  Major  Eeno,  with  the  remains  of  seven  companies 
of  the  regiment,  with  the  following  named  officers,  all  of  whom  are 
unhurt:  Colonels  Benteen  and  Wier;  Captains  Felix  Mnyland  and 
Macdougal ;  Lieutenants  Godfrey,  Mathey,  Gibson,  Deruded,  Edgerly, 
Wallace,  Yarnum,  and  Hare.  In  the  centre  of  the  inclosure  the 
wounded  were  sheltered,  covered  with  canvas.  Major  Eeno's  command 
had  been  fighting  from  Sunday  noon,  the  25th,  until  the  night  of  the 
2Gth,  when  Terry's  arrival  caused  the  Indians  to  retire.  Up  to  this 
time  Major  Eeno  and  those  with  him  were  in  comple'e  ignorance  of 
the  fate  of  the  other  five  companies  which  had  been  separated  from 
them  on  the  26th  to  make  an  attack,  under  General  Custer,  on  the 
village  at  another  point.  While  preparations  were  being  mnde 
for  the  removal  of  the  wouuded,  a  party  was  sent  on  General 
Custer's  trail  to  look  for  traces  of  his  command.  They  found  awaiting 
them  a  sight  fit  to  appal  the  stoutest  heart.  At  a  point  about  three 
miles  down  the  right  bank  of  the  stream  General  Custer  had  evidently 
attempted  to  ford,  and  attack  the  villages  from  the  ford.  The  trait  was 
found  to  lead  back  up  to  the  bluffs  and  to  the  northward,  as  if  the 
troops  had  been  repulsed  and  compelled  to  retreat,  and  at  the  same 
time  had  been  cut  off  from  regaining  the  forces  under  Major  Eeno. 
The  bluffs  a'ong  the  right  bank  come  sharply  down  to  the  water,  and 
are  interspersed  by  numerous  ravines  all  along  the  slopes  and  ridges, 
and  in  the  ravines,  lying  as  they  had  fought,  line  behind  line,  showing 
where  defensive  positions  had  been  successively  taken  up  and  held  till 


3G6  APPENDIX  C. 


none  were  left  to  fight,  lay  the  bodies  of  the  fallen  soldiers.  There, 
huddled  in  a  narrow  compass,  horses  and  men  were  piled  promiscuously. 
At  the  highest  point  of  the  ridge  lay  General  Ouster,  surrounded  by  a 
chosen  band.  Here  were  his  two  brothers  and  his  nephew,  Mr.  Reed, 
Colonel  Yates,  and  Colonel  Coo'ce,  and  Captain  Smith,  all  lying  in  a 
circle  of  a  few  yards,  their  horses  beside  them.  Here,  behind  Colonel 
Yatcs's  company,  the  last  stand  had  been  made,  and  here,  one  after 
another,  these  last  survivors  of  General  Custer's  five  companies  had  met 
their  death.  The  companies  had  successively  thrown  themselves  across 
the  path  of  the  advancing  enemy,  and  had  been  annihilated.  Not  a 
man  had  escaped  to  tell  the  tale,  but  a  story  was  inscribed  on  the 
surface  of  the  barren  hills  in  a  language  more  eloquent  than  words. 
Two  hundred  and  sixty-one  bodies  have  been  buried  from  General 
Custer's  and  Major  Eeno's  commands.  The  last  one  found  was  that  of 
Mr.  Kellegg,  the  correspondent  of  the  '  Tribune.' 

The  '  New  York  Herald's '  correspondent  says :  "  I  write  from  the 
scene  of  Custer's  magnificent  but  terribly  fatal  charge  from  a  pi  »teau, 
on  which  but  a  few  hours  since  I  saw  at  a  glance  115  heroic  soldiers  of 
the  7th  United  States  cavalry  lying  where  they  fell  at  the  hands  of  a 
Bf.vage  foe,  cold  and  dead.  Near  the  top  of  a  little  knoll  in  the  centre 
of  this  plateau  lay  Custer  himself,  and  it  touched  my  heart  to  see  that 
the  savages,  in  a  kind  of  human  recognition  of  human  clay,  had 
respected  the  corpse  of  the  man  they  knew  so  well.  Other  bodies 
were  mutilated.  Custer's  was  untouched,  a  tribute  of  respect  from 
such  an  enemy  more  real  than  a  title  of  nobility.  He  lay  as  if  asleep,  his 
face  calm,  and  a  smile  on  his  lips.  Near  him  were  eleven  dead 
officers." 

Notwithstanding  the  cruelties  committed  by  the  Indians 
— who  have  a  decided  predilection  for  pegging  their  male 
cnptives  "spread-eagle"  fashion  on  the  ground,  lighting  a 
small  lire  over  their  stomachs  while  in  that  position,  and 
almost  invariably  treating  the  females  with  still  greater 
barbarity  even  as  regards  physical  torture — they  have  un 
questionably  real  and  just  cause  of  complaint.  Their  terri 
tory  Las  been  annexed  ;  they  have  been  defrauded  in  the 
most  shocking  and  scandalous  manner  by  agents  appointed 
from  Washington,  who  were  supposed  to  attend  to  their 
interests;  and  in  their  different  wars  against  the  United 
States  they  have  occasionally  had  tribes  almost  or  quite 
annihilated  by  men  who  spared  neither  age  nor  sex. 

No  one  with  the  smallest  particle  of  humanity  can  uphold 


APPENDIX  C.  367 


such  treatment,  and  Englishmen  are  apt,  when  talking  on 
the  subject,  to  refer  to  the  superior  condition  of  our  tribes  in 
Canada,  and  proudly  descant  on  the  merits  of  a  humane  and 
generous  policy,  which  treats  the  Indian  as  a  subject,  and  not 
as  a  noxious  reptile  who  should  be  civilized  off  the  fac.e  of 
creation. 

This  comparison  between  ourselves  and  the  Americans  is, 
however,  neither  fair  nor  generous,  the  conditions  respecting 
the  peculiar  position  of  the  respective  tribes  of  Indians  in 
the  two  countries  being  widely  different.  In  '•  the  Dominion  " 
they  inhabit  land  which  nothing  but  immense  labour  and 
the  expenditure  of  capital  can  ever  render  available  for 
agricultural  purposes.  Their  territories  are  almost  absolutely 
valueless,  owing  to  the  density  of  timber  and  dearth  of  labour 
required  to  clear  them.  In  fact,  we  do  not  want  the  land 
occupied  by  our  Indians,  yef  we  make  a  virtue  (while 
criticising  the  Yankees)  of  permitting  them  to  use  it. 

With  the  Americans  it  is  different  Much  of  the  land 
occupied  by  Indians  is  of  the  very  highest  agricultural  value. 
I  have  frequently  hunted  over  miles  and  miles  of  mngnificent 
country,  which  remains  entirely  unoccupied,  simply  on  account 
of  the  danger  settlers  would  incur  from  close  proximity  to 
such  disagreeable  neighbours,  and  when  it  is  remembered 
that  owing  to  the  unproductive  nature  of  the  Red  man,  who 
lives  entirely  by  the  capture  of  wild  animals,  and  does  not 
even  breed  cattle  for  his  support,  that  at  least  a  thousand 
times  the  acreage  occupied  by  a  "  white  "  is  necessary  for 
his  support,  one  will  see  that  the  position  of  the  Americans 
is  by  no  means  as  easy  as  our  own. 

The  national  wish  of  the  United  States  is  most  unques 
tionably  to  treat  these  people  fairly,  though  the  means  they 
adopt  are  wrong  in  every  respect.  An  often  quoted  though 
much  to  be  deplored  maxim,  particularly  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Sioux,  is,  that  "  No  Injen  is  a  good  Injen  until  he  is  a 
dead  Injen,"  and  under  the  existing  state  of  affairs  the 
proverb  is  literally  true. 

If  the  Americans  really  wish  to  preserve  these  people 
whose  lands  they  have  arbitrarily  possessed  themselves  of, 


3G8  APPENDIX  C. 


there  is  only  one  possible  method  of  doing  so,  and  it  should 
be  done  at  once.  An  accurate  register  of  a1!  young  children 
and  births  should  be  kept  nt  the  reservation?,  and  for  those 
young  children  there  should  be  compulsory  education.  As 
they  grow  up,  agricultural  schools  should  be  added  ;  land 
should  betaken  up  and  tilled  by  their  labour,  and  all  the  male 
Indians  \\lio  have  been  educated  at  the  schools,  and  taught 
Christianity,  compelled,  if  necessary  by  force,  to  work  and 
b<come  self-supporting.  This  work  should  be  superintended 
by  people  sufficiently  well  paid  to  induce  men  of  probity  and 
character  to  accept  the  situation.  The  surplus  money  derived 
from  this  source  (and  it  would  be  considerable,  were  the  plan 
properly  carried  out)  should  be  applied  solely  for  purposes 
of  ameliorating  the  condition  of  the  tribe— in  fact,  from  the 
time  the  Indian  child  went  to  school  until  he  had  his  own 
farm,  his  house,  and  possibly  had  married  and  had  children 
of  his  own,  and  given  the  very  strongest  proof?  of  the  im 
probability  of  his  ever  relapsing  into  his  native  barbarism, 
he  should  be  entirely  and  solely  under  the  control  of  the 
State,  and  almost  a  slave,  except  that  whatever  he  succeeded 
in  making  would  be  entirely  for  his  own  benefit. 

The  grown-up  Indian  of  the  present  might  be  permitted 
to  die  out  quietly.  As  well  attempt  to  teach  a  hippopotamus 
algebra  as  a  u  Buck  "  or  "  Brave  "  civilization.  Continue, 
therefore,  to  feed  him  on  the  reservation  as  of  old,  and 
keeping  him  out  of  mischief  as  much  as  possible,  devote 
attention  solely  to  his  children. 

This  plan  requires  time,  patience,  and  much  determination, 
but  it  is  the  only  one  that  will  ever  succeed ;  and,  if  adopted, 
in  thirty  years  from  now  the  old  Indians  will  have  mostly 
disappeared,  and  the  reservations  might  entirely  be  handed 
over  to  their  reformed  children,  who  will  have  become  an 
agricultural  or  pastoral  race,  and  require  their  nurse-tenders 
no  longer. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $t.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


AU68J945 


ex.. 


3Dec59PW 


RECTD  LD 


NOV  21 1959 


cn 


,\       A 


REOD  LD 


JUN28196 


l'63vSP 


YC  27767 


247489 


